Successful software development is people-centered: high productivity requires a relentless focus on people, motivation, and communication. In <B> <I>Improving Software Productivity</I> </B>, legendary software engineering expert Dr. Randall Jensen introduces a proven quantitative approach to achieving this focus - through management support, the ability to communicate, and technology. Jensen demonstrates how to measure organizational capacity and productivity, and use that information to build more accurate estimates and schedules -- and, more broadly, to improve many facets of developer and team performance.<BR> <BR>Jensen provides tools that development managers can use to quantitatively predict the productivity impact of management decisions related to personnel and management style, development environment, product constraints, technology, development systems, and more. Using his tools, managers can more effectively transition from traditional to agile development styles and environments. Total quality management concepts are threaded throughout Jensen's text, and he presents widely applicable case studies based on actual productivity initiatives.<BR> <BR>This book's tools, based on the widely-used Jensen II Software Development Model (Seer), provide a sound basis for software development cost and schedule estimation. Jensen clearly describes the process of formulating accurate estimates with them, explaining each model parameter in detail. He discusses the theory behind estimation models, offering practical examples that promote both understanding and effective usage. The concepts he establishes established apply equally well to many widely-used estimating tools, including Sage, REVIC, COCOMO II, and SEER-SEM.<BR>