Project Success: Working with the Fusebox Lifecycle Process (FLiP)

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Overview: Each year, programmer's tools get better, yet our failure rates remain extraordiarily high -- as high as 72% according to several studies. Why? Shakespeare said it best: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves...". The very way we approach applications nearly guarantees that we will fail, where "failue" is defined by clients. FLiP is a methodology for repeatable, predictable success in building software applications and is built on the central truth that "clients can only tell you what they want after they see it." FLiP was developed as a result of my own study of software failures and the lessons they can teach us. While it's called the "Fusebox" Lifecycle Process, FLiP can be used with any (or no) framework. This class is designed for both managers and technical leads.

The course is taught by Hal Helms.

Outline:

Unit 1. Introduction: Why bad things happen to good projects

Unit 2. The mythical man-month: Still the problem with software

Unit 3. Case studies in failure and success: Toys R Us, Rooms to Go, Sun Microsystems

Unit 4. Requirements: What they say isn't what you should hear

Unit 5. Wireframes: Probing for real requirements

Unit 6. Look and feel: Working with graphical designers

Unit 7. Prototyping: The Key to successful projects

Unit 8. Establishing acceptance tests: Using the prototype sign-off to determine success

Unit 9. Architecting the application: Using visual outlining tools

Unit 10. Documentation: Writing documentation before you write your code

Unit 11. Test harnesses: Assuring unit quality

Unit 12. Integrated testing: Working with daily builds to assure system quality

Unit 13. Acceptance testing: Making sure the prototype "runs"

Unit 14. "You know what would be nice...": Handling ongoing customer requirements

Unit 15. Practicum: From initial meeting to deployment

The class works best when both manager and technical lead can attend together. The class lays stress on finding solutions rather than assigning blame. If the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different result", the secret of project success is doing things differently and understanding the same project from the viewpoint of developer, manager, and client.

Next class: January 15-16, Tampa, FL

Price: $1695

Click here to register for the FLiP class