AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE ON

SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, NIGERIA
JUNE 21 - 25, 2004

Organized by

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, NIGERIA
and
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY, MACAU, CHINA

The software industry is growing rapidly and practitioners are struggling hard to cope with the ever-increasing complexity of software development. Meanwhile, the management of software projects has led to many software development failures and successes. While software technologies, processes and methods have advanced appreciably, software engineering remains a people-intensive process. Therefore, techniques for managing people, technology, resources and risks have profound leverage.

A serious problem plaguing software industries in both developed and developing countries is poor development practices and project management. This problem is the major cause of delays in software projects, overspending of IT budgets, and chronic problems with dependability (safety, reliability and security) and maintainability of software products.

Software industries in developing countries need to rely on modern engineering practices to develop high-quality, globally competitive products. Such practices comprise a variety of methods, tools and techniques based on solid mathematical foundations and good software project management.

This course has been designed to provide an international forum for presentation and discussion of such practices.

The course is meant for practising software engineers and managers as well as postgraduate students and polytechnic and university teachers in software engineering, computer science, information technology and related subjects. We welcome applicants from Nigeria and the countries in West Africa. Selected candidates must attend and participate in all the lectures, tutorials and practicals.

The course provides a set of topics to teach modern practices in software project management. The participants will be able to learn about the state-of-the-art in this area. It will be taught by Dr. Edmonds Lau, a Lecturer in the School of Information Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Dr Lau is a panel member of the Software Project Management subject in Swinburne University. He is also an active researcher in the area of software testing. The course is also meant as an open forum where participants and the lecturer alike can share their experiences, discuss ideas, and seek solutions to common problems. The course has a substantial practical component.

Participants in the course are expected to achieve the following, among others:

• Acquire basic knowledge required in sizing and costing software projects
• Acquire basic knowledge of measuring performance of software during development
• Participate in group project during the course

Lecture materials will be given free to all participants.

One week of ten 3-hour sessions

Project Management is generally seen as a key component of successful software projects. Together with software techniques such as formal methods, it can produce software of high quality. The course aims to cover the basics.

• Background
• Software development models
• Size and cost estimation
• Project planning
• Risk management
• Resource management
• Quality management: ISO 9000 and the Capability Maturity Model
• Performance tracking and reporting
• Configuration management
• Team management

We welcome applications to attend the course. The application should contain:

1. Name
2. Affiliation
3. Address for correspondence
4. Email address
5. Telephone number
6. Fax number
7. Resume

The resume must describe the applicant's academic qualifications, teaching or industrial experience, technical background, and specific interests in information technology. It may include letters of recommendation.

International applicants may also specify whether they need travel support, and if yes, the itinerary and the amount required (in US dollars).

Applications should be e-mailed (plain text only) or sent by post to the school coordinator at:

The deadline to receive all applications is May 12, 2004. All applicants will be informed about the decision by May 21, 2004. Accepted applicants are required to confirm their attendance by May 28, 2004.

• International participants will be provided: transport to/from the Lagos airport, shared rooms in the university guest house (two per room), course materials, refreshments and lunches during weekdays, and a fixed amount to cover the cost of the remaining meals. Partial funding for international travel is available. Applicants should specify their requirements in the application, including the itinerary and amount.
  
  
• National participants (from Nigeria) will be provided: course materials, refreshments during breaks, lunches during weekdays, and a flat amount of money to cover the costs of other meals and accommodation. Cost of travel from participant's location to Lagos and back will be refunded fully. Participants are supposed to arrange the travel to/from Lagos and accommodation in Lagos themselves. Limited number of rooms will be available at the university guest house. They can be reserved by calling +234-1-5454891/2; +234-1-4938637/9 ext. 1629, 1633.
  
  
• Local participants (from Lagos) will be provided: course materials, refreshments during breaks, and lunches during weekdays.

The Course will take place at the Department of Computer Sciences, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria, from June 21 - 25, 2004. Courses will take place Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 17:00.
Participants can work together on group projects up till 20:00 hours at the venue.

Deadline to receive applications: May 12, 2004
Notification of acceptance/rejection: May 21, 2004
Declaration of attendance: May 28, 2004
Course Period : June 21 - 25, 2004.

University of Lagos is one of the largest public universities in Nigeria with a student population of about 35,000. The university is made up of eight (8) Faculties including Science, Arts, Engineering, Law, Social Science, Business Administration, Environmental Science, Education and a College of Medicine. The department of Computer Sciences is one of the several departments in the Faculty of Science with current student enrollment of about 700. For more information on University of Lagos and the department of Computer Sciences please visit the site http://www.unilag.edu.

UNU/IIST is one of the Research and Training Centers of the United Nations University, part of the United Nations. UNU/IIST's mission is to help developing countries strengthen their education and research in computer science and their ability to produce computer software. Its web page is http://www.iist.unu.edu.