Software defect prediction has drawn the attention of many researchers in empirical software engineering and software maintenance due to its importance in providing quality estimates and to identify the needs for improvement from project management perspective. However, most defect prediction studies seem valid primarily in a particular context and little concern is given on how to find out which prediction model is well suited for a given project context. In this paper we present a framework for conducting software defect prediction as aid for the project manager in the context of a particular project or organization. The framework has been aligned with practitioners’ requirements and is supported by our findings from a systematical literature review on software defect prediction. We provide a guide to the body of existing studies on defect prediction by mapping the results of the systematic literature review to the framework.