Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules
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'sMythical 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 MistakesHeroicsAdding people to a late projectPolitics placed over substance (etc.)Process Related MistakesAbandonment of planning under pressurePlanning to catch up later"Code-like-hell" programming (etc.)Technology Related MistakesSilver-Bullet syndromeOverestimating savings from new tools or methodsSwitching 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.