SERIES DESCRIPTION:

This series, part of the Software Project Management Program, consists of 8 short courses based on several courses from the SMU MS program in software engineering as well as the SEI Capability Maturity Model. Each short course includes one or more exercises that apply the principles to concrete examples similar to those found in the workplace.

The individual courses in this series are: (click on course name for detailed information)

1. Software Management Overview (2 hours)
2. Software Job Analysis (2 hours)
3. Initial Software Planning (2 hours)
4. The Work Breakdown Structure (2 hours)
5. Software Size Estimating: (4 hours)
   Part 1 - Bottom-up Methods
   
   Part 2 - Top-down Methods and Reuse
   
6. Software Effort and Cost Estimating: (4 hours)
   Part 1 - Basic Methods
   Part 2 - Estimation Models and Negotiation
   

   Software Schedule Estimating and Planning (2 hours)

   Software Development Plans (2 hours)

BENEFITS:

After taking these courses, you will be better prepared to plan a successful software development project and will understand the principles underlying the techniques you will use.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

The target audience includes current and prospective software development leads and managers. It will also be of interest to system engineers, software process specialists, managers of disciplines related to software engineering (such as software configuration management), and program managers whose programs have a significant software component.

PREREQUISITES:

The series requires experience working with software engineering projects, primarily so the attendee can understand the problems and appreciate some of the practical difficulties. Basic college level mathematics is also required.

SCHEDULE:

This series will be broadcast over a period of 10 weeks, one 2 hour session per week.

SPECIAL NOTE:

The individual courses or the complete series may be taken independently. An individual may choose a "certificate" option. With this option, the individual who takes the entire program and who completes and turns in all individual exercises for evaluation will receive a certificate from SMU, attesting to their completion of the program.