Risks in Projects Using New Technologies

February 7, 2002

Location: Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Bldg, Room EE/Csi 3-180

Abstract:

If good project management is important to the success of the average software project, imagine how critical it is to ones that use new tools, new methodologies and new programming paradigms.  However, little attention is paid in the literature to the specific (and unique) risks and challenges these projects present.

The presentation will examine the particularities of "technology projects" - projects that use technology that is unfamiliar to the team and/or new or untested and/or uses various technologies in new combinations. It will offer some observations based on real-world efforts undertaken recently by the presenter, with a focus on the additional difficulties in estimation and risk management associated with technologically complex projects.

About the Speaker:

Cathy Bryant is a Software Consultant with Artemis Alliance, Inc. of St. Paul, where she has worked on several "technology projects" on the past 3 years.  She is also the Software Engineering Process Lead for Artemis, and holds a Master of Science in Software Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota.

Prior to joining Artemis Alliance, Cathy was the owner of a wholesale distribution company in London, Ontario, Canada, with specific responsibility for the development and maintenance of the various software systems used in the business.  She has been involved in the IT industry for over 20 years, both as a producer and a consumer of software.