Mark Schadt, a Sr. Engineer with MKS Software will be presenting at the Atlanta SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) meeting tonight (Wednesday, April 19th) at 6:00pm. The topic will be “Development Metrics and Dashboards - Managing Your Projects in Real Time.”

Abstract: All organizations measure some aspect of their performance, with the goal of managing and improving their processes and products. Unfortunately many organizations get bogged down in the measurement process - developing too many measures (or too few), overly complex implementations, failing to use metrics for improvement initiatives, or failing to link metrics with top-level strategies or actual work processes of the employees. This session will provide you with real strategies and implementation insights necessary to set up and sustain a measurement system for monitoring and improving your IT organization. Key to any measurement program is the ability to view progress in real-time. Thought leaders in the industry are turning to management dashboards as a way to gain clear visibility of project status, processes and metrics across the enterprise. While most organizations possess many sets of metrics, a re-evaluation and re-examination of what exactly is being measured and how it is being reported and used is key.

Specific topic areas will include:

• Collecting data that is linked to the business objectives of your organization
• Engaging all levels of your application development and IT functions to participate
• Setting up a management dashboard and relevant reports
• Using data and metrics proactively for continuous improvement

Speaker Bio: Mark Schadt has over 23 years of experience in Application Lifecycle Management processes and solutions. His areas of expertise are process/workflow assessment, design and management, as well as the implementation of management systems for version control, software configurations, build and deployment, requirements, and geographically distributed development. Prior to joining MKS, Mark worked for IBM Rational, Apple Computer and Texas Instruments, and as an independent software change management consultant he advised companies such as AT&T, Time Warner, TRW, and Lockheed Martin. Mark has a Masters degree in Computer Science.

If you are in the Atlanta area, the meeting will be held in the Oracle office at Northpark Town Center (building 500, suite 1120). Check the Atlanta SPIN web site for the latest details and directions. Come out for some great networking with some of Atlanta’s top software development professionals. The free pizza is a bonus!
http://www.atlantaspin.org

See you there!

Cheers.