Exploring Extreme Programming
Dynamics of Software Development, Jim McCarthy. Microsoft Press, 1995. Rules of thumb from a key player on the Visual C++ team: how to ship great software on time. Similar in tone to The Pragmatic Programmer, but aimed more at managers Continue reading Review – Dynamics of Software Development
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, Jim Collins. HarperCollins, 2001. Collins and his team set criteria for how to identify a good company that became great (a transformation sustaining value substantially above its industry). Continue reading Review – Good to Great
Quality Software Management, Volume 2: First-Order Measurement, Gerald M. Weinberg, Dorset House, 1997. First-order measurement is the use of back-of-the-envelope calculations sufficient for building something. Weinberg relates Satir’s interaction model (intake, meaning, significance, and response) to software management. The author Continue reading Review – Quality Software Management, vol. 2: First-Order Measurement
Managing the Design Factory, Donald Reinertsen. Free Press, 1997. Reinertsen comes at managing design from the manufacturing product development side, but a lot of his tools seem appropriate for software product development as well. “When we begin a design we Continue reading Review – Managing the Design Factory
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox. North River Press, 1992 (2nd rev. edition). A combination love story and manufacturing treatise. Inventory and high utilization are signs of sub-optimizing the whole system. (Reviewed Dec., ’02)
First Among Equals: How to Manage a Group of Professionals, Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister. Free Press, 2002. While targeted at group leaders in professional practices (e.g., legal firms), this book has a lot to teach coaches and Continue reading Review – First Among Equals
The Thinker’s Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving, Morgan D. Jones. Three Rivers Press, 1995. Tools and exercises for helping you analyze problems, including problem restatement, decision trees, matrices, ranking, hypothesis testing, and utility analysis. (Reviewed Dec., ’02)
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre, Keith Johnstone. Routledge, 1979. Improvisational acting techniques are influencing the training world. They help you look at everything that happens as something you can say, “Yes, and” to, and create new and interesting things. Johnstone Continue reading Review – Impro
Training Games: Everything You Need to Know About Using Games to Reinforce Learning, Susan El-Shamy. Stylus Publishing, 2001. Describes some theory indicating how games help learning, classifies games a few ways, and considers electronic games. Considers the mechanics of playing Continue reading Review – Training Games
Pair Programming Illuminated, Laurie Williams and Robert Kessler. Addison-Wesley, 2002. How to program in pairs. Describes problems pairs face when mixing experience levels or personality types. Has suggestions for improving pairing. (Reviewed Nov., ’02)