Adam Kolawa

Automated Defect Prevention

Adam Kolawa

This book describes an approach to software management based on establishing an infrastructure that serves as the foundation for the project. This infrastructure defines people roles, necessary technology, and interactions between people and technology. This infrastructure automates repetitive tasks, organizes project activities, tracks project status, and seamlessly collects project data to provide measures necessary for decision making. Most importantly, this infrastructure sustains and facilitates the improvement of human-defined processes. The methodology described in the book, which is called Automated Defect Prevention (ADP) stands out from the current software landscape as a result of two unique features: its comprehensive approach to defect prevention, and its far-reaching emphasis on automation. ADP is a practical and thorough guide to implementing and managing software projects and processes. It is a set of best practices for software management through process improvement, which is achieved by the gradual automation of repetitive tasks supported and sustained by this flexible and adaptable infrastructure, an infrastructure that essentially forms a software production line. In defining the technology infrastructure, ADP describes necessary features rather than specific tools, thus remaining vendor neutral. Only a basic subset of features that are essential for building an effective infrastructure has been selected. Many existing commercial and non-commercial tools support these, as well as more advanced features. Appendix E contains such a list.

The Next Leap in Productivity. What Top Managers Really Need to Know about Information Technology

Adam Kolawa

How much should top management really care about IT? That’s the question Adam Kolawa bluntly poses in this feisty and compelling book. “The Next Leap in Productivity” goes far beyond traditional business books written for the CIO community. It tackles crucial issues such as productivity, efficiency and quality management. It makes the case for applying the principles of Deming and Juran to software development. Then it takes a “leap,” arguing that huge potential increases in IT productivity can lead to enormous increases in enterprise productivity. In this sense, “The Next Leap in Productivity” is a truly visionary book. Software vendors and CIOs who read this book will discover a software development process that is transparent, practical and efficient. Non-technical C-level executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc.) will discover a blueprint for improving corporate productivity and dramatically reducing operating costs. For the past decade, CIOs have been urged, coaxed, counseled and exhorted to act more like CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other C-level executives. This book suggests that it’s time for CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other C-level executives to start acting more like CIOs. “The Next Leap in Productivity” will appeal to anyone involved in buying, selling, developing or using IT. Advance Praise for “The Next Leap in Productivity” “Adam’s book is a challenge to all the top managers who’ve stopped caring about IT. His message is simple: If you really care about IT, you find ways to make IT more productive. The improvements you achieve in IT productivity can then be leveraged into huge leaps in productivity at the enterprise level. This book offers a roadmap for translating IT productivity into business profit. Adam’s argument is worth reading and worth considering as you formulate your IT strategies and plan your IT budgets.”–Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus, CIO magazine “Adam lays the groundwork for a common language that can be used to bridge the chasms between IT and other essential components of the business such as finance, product development, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Everyone who reads this book will learn valuable lessons that can be leveraged to improve returns on human capital investments at every level of the organization. Adam’s concepts have the potential to boost levels of confidence and performance throughout the enterprise.”– Michael Minelli, Co-author, Partnering with the CIO “These kinds of productivity principles are not mere theory. When we put these same principles into effect, our productivity went up more than we had thought possible. And our employee morale went up, too. It became easier to write code the right way and harder to make stupid mistakes. This new way of creating software makes it possible for us to concentrate on what we really want to do here at Cisco, which is to improve the Internet for everybody.”– Andy Chessin, Senior Technical Lead, Cisco, Inc.