Roles I have had in the area of project management

1. James Falasco
Project Management Experience
6411 Fieldcrest Lane
Sachse, Texas
619-852-5288 Mobile
972-575-8663 Home
falascoj@yahoo.com
Introduction
Certifying embedded software to meet project requirements can be challenging and
expensive. You need the best tools to simplify and to shorten the process while reducing
overall costs and increasing overall quality. The tools are necessary, but by themselves they
are insufficient. You also need an approach, a process, to tie the tools together. The process
will incorporate architecture, providing structure and procedures. With the addition of best
practice guidelines gained from experience, the process becomes a full-blown methodology.
You will also need support to help in the transition to a new toolset and a new methodology.
besides training, support can customize the tools for your specific needs, help to integrate
legacy code, and provide expertise with the use of the tools. So a total solution is comprised of
the triad: software tools, a methodology, and support.
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2. Figure 1 Solution Triad - Software Tools, a Methodology, and Support
I have effectively used the defined Solution Triad to facilitate project management
responsibilities that I have been involved with. Representative project Areas include the
vertical markets of video phone design, vehicles ; both commercial and military and industrial
automation. I favor the traditional “requirements v” approach to establish the foundation of my
project management strategy. I have led project management teams to develop products as
well as system integration efforts. Project team management utilized techniques from such
methodologies as QED and TRIZ.
Managing and preserving intellectual property is one of the key aspects of project
management today. In a technical world where there are hundreds of ways in which a potential
product/system integration effort can be rolled out the way in which your organizations I.P. can
be packaged and transferred as “value add” or protected can become a huge corporate
advantage.
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3. Keeping The Process Simple
Here is a close look at my favorite project kick off approach. Define things in the below fashion.
Figure 1 Traditional V Process
Software Verification & Validation (V&V) is a system engineering process for evaluating the
correctness and quality of a software product throughout its life cycle. It employs a variety of
software engineering methods, techniques, and tools. Unintentionally overlooked during the
beginning of a product’s life cycle, the costs of V&V rise dramatically the longer it is deferred.
V&V is not easy because
• Software applications are numerous, novel, and complex.
• Each application has unique design elements and a large number of potential states or
modes.
• Although software technology is essentially unlimited in its applicability to real world
problems, it is extremely sensitive to minor details in program and/or data.
• Software products are difficult to specify with precision and difficult to test exhaustively.
Often they are engineered with immature processes.
I have effectively the various components of product teams including design , marketing and
customer support. These teams ranged in size from 5 to 15 people and in many instances
were spread across multiple locations ,sometimes internationally.
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