Practical Guide to Software Management Plans (15 minutes)

Research software plays a crucial role in academic research and has become a key output of many research projects. A software management plan helps to implement best practices during software development and ensures that software is accessible and reusable in the short and longer term. It also contributes to the reproducibility of results and stimulates collaborative work on open-source software for research.

In practice, a software management plan helps:

• Assess whether developing new software is necessary
• Plan to make the research software reusable and sustainable
• Plan for necessary resources
• Allow for verification of work that went into implementation

In the Practical Guide to Software Management plans, this is described in more detail:

A practical guide to software management plans

After reading this guide, you should:

• Be aware of different types of research software
• Understand different demands placed on these types of software
• Know about various aspects of software management
• Be able to explain the importance of a software management plan for software sustainability.