I can hear some of you exclaiming, "How can you possibly recommend a book about software scheduling published by Microsoft Press and written by a consultant to Microsoft?!" Well, put aside any preconceived biases. This is a tremendous book on effective scheduling software development, and it drinks deeply from the wisdom of all the classics in the field such as Brook's Mythical Man Month -- and is likely well-informed by McConnell's experiences, good and bad, in Redmond. The nine page section entitled "Classic Mistakes Enumerated" is alone worth the price of admission and should be required reading for all developers, leads, and managers. Here are some types of the 36 classic mistakes that McConnell describes in detail: People Related Mistakes Heroics Adding people to a late project Politics placed over substance (etc.) Process Related Mistakes Abandonment of planning under pressure Planning to catch up later "Code-like-hell" programming (etc.) Technology Related Mistakes Silver-Bullet syndrome Overestimating savings from new tools or methods Switching tools in the middle of a project (etc.) I suspect that if you've ever been involved in software development, you winced after reading each of these nine points. And you will learn a great deal from the remaining 640 pages about concrete solutions. My only substantive gripe: cheesy Powerpoint graphics. Nonetheless, this book is Very Highly Recommended.


Book Description
Corporate and commercial software-development teams all want solutions for one important problem--how to get their high-pressure development schedules under control. In RAPID DEVELOPMENT, author Steve McConnell addresses that concern head-on with overall strategies, specific best practices, and valuable tips that help shrink and control development schedules and keep projects moving. Inside, you'll find:• A rapid-development strategy that can be applied to any project and the best practices to make that strategy work• Candid discussions of great and not-so-great rapid-development practices--estimation, prototyping, forced overtime, motivation, teamwork, rapid-development languages, risk management, and many others• A list of classic mistakes to avoid for rapid-development projects, including creeping requirements, shortchanged quality, and silver-bullet syndrome• Case studies that vividly illustrate what can go wrong, what can go right, and how to tell which direction your project is goingRAPID DEVELOPMENT is the real-world guide to more efficient applications development.


Book Info
Author addresses a rapid-development strategy that can be applied to any project, and the best practices to make that strategy work. Case studies included. Paper. DLC: Computer software Development.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Fatbrain Review A fundamental software engineering project management guide based on the practical requirements of "Taming Wild Software Schedules." Emphasizes possible, realistic and "best practice" approaches for managers, technical leads and self-managed teams. The author emphasizes efficient development concepts with an examination of rapid development strategies and a study of classic mistakes, within the context of software-development fundamentals and risk management. Dissects the core issues of rapid development, lifecycle planning, estimation and scheduling. Contains very good and practical discussions of customer-oriented development, motivation and teamwork. Explains such fundamental requirements as team structure, feature-set control (the dreaded feature creep in every project), availability and use of productivity tools and project recovery options. Relevant case studies are analyzed and discussed within the context of specific software development problems. Over 200 pages in this publication are devoted to a summary of best practices, everything from the daily build and smoke test, through prototyping, model selection, measurement, reuse, and the top-10 risks list.

This publication is definitely recommended and will become a classic in the field, just as the author's prior publication, Code Completealready is.

ANNOTATION

A fundamental software engineering project management guide based on the practical requirements of "Taming Wild Software Schedules." Emphasizes possible, realistic and "best practice" approaches for managers, technical leads and self-managed teams. The author emphasizes efficient development concepts with an examination of rapid development strategies and a study of classic mistakes, within the context of software-development fundamentals and risk management. Dissects the core issues of rapid development, lifecycle planning, estimation and scheduling. Contains very good and practical discussions of customer-oriented development, motivation and teamwork. Explains such fundamental requirements as team structure, feature-set control (the dreaded feature creep in every project), availability and use of productivity tools and project recovery options. Relevant case studies are analyzed and discussed within the context of specific software development problems. Over 200 pages in this publication are devoted to a summary of best practices, everything from the daily build and smoke test, through prototyping, model selection, measurement, reuse, and the top-10 risks list.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

If you wrestle with development mileposts and deadlines, this book can show you the tested strategies and tactics you need to keep your projects on time and on budget. In the tradition of McConnell's bestselling Code Complete (Microsoft Press, 1996), Rapid Development brings together the best research and hard-won experience to help you get control of your development projects.

Experience Level: All

SYNOPSIS

McConnell's RAPID DEVELOPMENT brings together the best research and hard-won experience to help you get control of your development projects, providing tested strategies and tactics you need to keep your projects on time and on budget.

FROM THE CRITICS

Ray Duncan

Biting the Silver Bullet

Pop Quiz: What do Charles Petzold's Programming Windows and Andrew Schulman's Undocumented DOS have in common? Your knee-jerk reaction would probably be, "Not very much!" Philosophically, the two books lie at extreme opposite ends of the programming spectrum. Yet, on a more abstract level, the books are members of the same exclusive club: they established a new genre or ecological niche in computer trade book publishing, and then -- by virtue of their authority, comprehensiveness, and readability -- went on to dominate that niche for many years.

Steve McConnell's Rapid Development is instantly recognizable as another member of that rare breed of highly original and definitive books. It addresses a dire need in mainstream commercial or "shrinkwrap" software development that was previously unmet and only dimly perceived. It integrates a vast amount of practical information within a logical, easily grasped structure. It is soundly grounded in the author's mastery of his subject and common sense, and it is backed up by hundreds of references. And, last but hardly least, it is beautifully written in an economical, direct style that makes every page count.

For those of you who are (justifiably) skeptical about the extravagant claims made for "Rapid Application Development" (RAD) products, fear not --this book is not about CASE or Visual Basic. RAD development tools are certainly described in the book, but only as one arrow in a quiver of many. Rather, Rapid Development is a wide-ranging book on the professional and fact-based management of software development projects, with "rapid(er) development" as the hook.

The chapters of Rapid Development are organized under the umbrella of three main themes. The first section is principally concerned with "efficient development" rather than "rapid development" -- focusing in on fundamental technical and management principles, assessment and management of risk, and avoidance of classic mistakes. Proper attention to these areas makes schedules and costs at least predictable. Most of the topics are illustrated with entertaining (and sometimes painfully familiar) case histories.

The second section is a detailed exploration of a diverse strategies, techniques, and tools for speeding up the development process. Each topic, ranging from lifecycle planning to improving the motivation of developers, gets the careful, thoughtful treatment that is McConnell's hallmark. The chapters on estimation, scheduling, and feature-set control are especially valuable. I've read about code size estimation and software project scheduling many times elsewhere, but only after reading Rapid Development did I truly believe.

The last section of the book is a collection of mini-essays on 27 "best practices"in a common format. Each begins with a table that summarizes the technique's efficacy in various domains, major risks, interactions, and tradeoffs. The table is followed by a (sometimes extensive) discussion of usage, risk management, side effects, and "keys to success" for the practice at hand. Citations for further reading on each "best practice" are often provided as well.