Green Gold: Japan, Germany, the United States, and the Race for Environmental Technology

Introducing a breakthrough approach to managing innovation, productivity, and quality assurance This book describes a systems management approach that successfully integrates the latest systems engineering methodologies with cutting-edge process management approaches. Since the ultimate goal of this approach is total quality assurance through process-related improvements throughout an entire organization, the book examines a broad range of interrelated issues, many of which are not generally covered in traditional systems engineering texts, including systems architectures and integration, quality assurance management, process reengineering and process maturity, metrics for cost and quality evaluation, software economics, and operational effectiveness evaluation for the management of large information and software systems. A superb graduate-level text for software engineering, systems engineering, and computer science programs, as well as business administration and management courses in managing IT, Systems Management for Information Technology and Software Engineering is also an invaluable source of ideas, inspiration, and expert guidance for software and systems engineers, human factors professionals, software development managers, and systems management engineers. Traditional software engineering approaches to managing innovation, productivity, and quality assurance focus almost entirely on the performance of individual programmers. But, just as those working in the environmental sphere have come to realize the dangers of focusing too narrowly on individual species while ignoring the needs of overall ecosystems, thinkers in the field of information systems engineering have begun to recognize the need for a systems management approach that encompasses all facets of the software development organization. Now, this groundbreaking text offers such an approach. In it, Professor Andrew Sage provides readers with a rational framework for the production of trustworthy, high-quality software and information technology systems. These combine cutting-edge systems engineering methodologies developed at top software development firms with innovative process management approaches that have been introduced successfully by many of the leading information technology and other business organizations around the world over the past decade. The bottom line of the systems management approach outlined is total quality assurance through process-related improvements throughout the entire organization. The book, therefore, addresses, in depth, a wide array of interrelated issues, many of which are not generally covered in systems engineering texts, including: * Process development life cycle * Process configuration management * Systems architectures and integration * Product development standards * Metrics for cost and operational effectiveness evaluation * Evaluation and reengineering of organizational cultures * Strategic quality assurance and Management, or TQM * Process reengineering and maturity Systems Management for Information Technology and Software Engineering is an excellent graduate-level text for programs in software engineering, systems engineering, computer science, and business administration and management. At the same time, it is also an invaluable reference for working software and systems engineers, human factors professionals, software development and information technology managers, and systems management engineers.