Best Software Project Management
The added chapters contain (1) a crisp condensation of all the propositions asserted in the original book, including Brooks' central argument in The Mythical Man-Month: that large programming projects suffer management problems different from small ones due to the division of labor; that the conceptual integrity of the product is therefore critical; and that it is difficult but possible to achieve this unity; (2) Brooks' view of these propositions a generation later; (3) a reprint of his classic 1986 paper "No Silver Bullet"; and (4) today's thoughts on the 1986 assertion, "There will be no silver bullet within ten years." My co-authors of that study, and our executive secretary, Robert L. Patrick, were invaluable in bringing me back into touch with real-world large software projects. In preparing my retrospective and update of The Mythical Man-Month, I was struck by how few of the propositions asserted in it have been critiqued, proven, or disproven by ongoing software engineering research and experience. In hopes that these bald statements will invite arguments and facts to prove, disprove, update, or refine those propositions, I have included this outline as Chapter 18. For a wonderful willingness to share views, to comment thoughtfully on drafts, and to re-educate me, I am indebted to Barry Boehm, Ken Brooks, Dick Case, James Coggins, Tom DeMarco, Jim McCarthy, David Parnas, Earl Wheeler, and Edward Yourdon. I thank Gordon Bell, Bruce Buchanan, Rick Hayes-Roth, my colleagues on the Defense Science Board Task Force on Military Software, and, most especially, David Parnas for their insights and stimulating ideas for, and Rebekah Bierly for technical production of, the paper printed here as Chapter 16. Analyzing the software problem into the categories of essence and accident was inspired by Nancy Greenwood Brooks, who used such analysis in a paper on Suzuki violin pedagogy. Two persons' contributions should be especially cited: Norman Stanton, then Executive Editor, and Herbert Boes, then Art Director. Boes developed the elegant style, which one reviewer especially cited: "wide margins, and imaginative use of typeface and layout."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Fred Brooks was a software engineer at IBM for some decades and later chair of the UNC CS department."
"A great book that tells you everything your project manager and lead architect are doing wrong, leading to the depressing realization that there is nothing you can do."
"Classic book which is proven by time."
"It contains four additional chapters: No Silver Bullet, yet another influential essay by Brooks that was not in the original edition; an overview of all his points (the entire book) in an easy-to-digest format; his thoughts 20 years on from writing the original, and how the industry has changed in that time; and finally, his responses to various criticism he has received over the years specifically in response to the "No Silver Bullet" essay."
"Other topics include the distinction between the "essential" and "accidental" elements of software design; the distinction between building a computer program vs. designing a "programming a systems product" (and the ninefold difference in complexity and time between the two); the quest for software engineering's elusive "silver bullet"; the importance of documentation; the surprisingly small percentage of time that actual writing of code occupies on the timeline of a typical software-development project (as contrasted with time needed for testing and debugging); large teams vs. small "surgical teams" (and why the latter isn't always the answer for all projects); the "buy versus build" dilemma; and many others."
Learn how the ambiguously-named "PM" (product manager / program manager) role varies across companies, what experience you need, how to make your existing experience translate, what a great PM resume and cover letter look like, and finally, how to master the PM interview questions (estimation questions, behavioral questions, case questions, product questions, technical questions, and the super important "pitch"). Career Advancement. Tips and Tricks for Career Advancement. Q & A: Fernando Delgado, Sr. Director, Product Management at Yahoo. Q & A: Ashley Carroll, Senior Director of Product Management, DocuSign. Q & A: Brandon Bray, Principal Group Program Manager, Microsoft. Q & A: Thomas Arend, International Product Lead, Airbnb. Q & A: Johanna Wright, VP at Google. Q & A: Lisa Kostova Ogata, VP of Product at Bright.com. Behavioral Questions. Why These Questions Are Asked. Preparation. Follow-Up Questions. Types of Behavioral Questions. Product Questions. About the Product Question. Type 1: Designing a Product. Type 2: Improving a Product. Type 3: Favorite Product. Preparation. Tips and Tricks. Sample Questions. Case Questions. The Case Question: Consultants vs. PMs. What Interviewers Look For. Useful Frameworks. Product Metrics. Interview Questions. Appendix. Top 1% PMs vs. Top 10% PMs. Be a Great Product Leader. The Inputs to a Great Product Roadmap. How to Hire a Product Manager. "If you were looking for a comprehensive, well-researched book about how to get a job in product management, look no further than Cracking the PM Interview. --Jason Shah, former Product Manager at Yammer/Microsoft & instructor of How to Get a Job in Product Management. Previously, she worked as a Product Manager at Google, where she joined as part of the elite Associate Product Manager program, and as a Program Manager at Microsoft.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book - Besides giving you frameworks with which to prepare for a PM interview, it's chock full of sage advice on becoming/being a good PM in a digital world."
"i also really liked how the "culture" of each of the larger tech companies and the 'behind the scenes' interview process was laid out."
"This book goes straight to the point, with very useful information and examples to prepare for a product manager position job interview."
"Good handling of interview questions and topics and good advice on preparing "top 5 stories"."
"Good book to brush a range of behavioral and PM question."
"I'm currently in the process of trying to hire a PM, and found this to be a fantastic resource."
"I totally love this book as I am preparing for my first PM job."
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book."
Drawing on the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First PMP offers you a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Learn PMP's underlying concepts to help you understand the PMBOK principles and pass the certification exam with flying colors Get 100% coverage of the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, Fifth Edition Make use of a thorough and effective preparation guide with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies Explore the material through puzzles, games, problems, and exercises that make learning easy and entertaining. Andrew Stellman is a developer, architect, speaker, agile coach, project manager, and expert in building better software.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you have time yo study both Rita's book and Head First I HIGHLY recommend studying both! 2) Buy Rita's book and read as much as you can. 3) Get McGraw-Hill's PMP Certification Mathematics with CD-ROM to help with the math section (take the practice test on the CD-ROM) 1-2 days before the test. Take the first test to see where you are, study study study the knowledge areas where you are weak take exam 2 if you get less than 80 go back to Rita's book! 5) I LOVED Head First PMP but if you don't have time to study everything I would say to buy this book as a companion to Rita's book. This book is a fun read and makes the concepts easier to understand. 6) Make sure your referencing the PMBOK 5 (Most Important). During the exam (make sure your doing good on time before you follow these directions). 1) If you believe in prayer (PRAY) - ummmm you also do not need to tell anyone your taking the test, just in case........ 2) Breathe and relax. 3) Do the first 50 - 75 questions (Take a break, go to the bathroom, get some water, sit in the waiting room, just get away from the test). 4) Go back in do the next 25 - 50 questions (take another break). 5) Keep doing this until you finish. 6) Before you review your questions, take your final break come back review your questions, (I took another break!!!!!"
"Hopefully they fix the errors in the next printing for PMBOK 6. the silly cartoons and their light approach make learning easier and for that reason i do recommend this, but only paired with a more detailed and formal second resource like the PM Prepcast or Ritas book."
"I used this book along with Rita's book and the PMBOK to study for my PMP exam and I passed on my first try."
"Personally, I would recommend attending a class aswell as the test is hard and somewhat pedantic in its questions and answers."
"Very good method for getting information into your head, and sticking."
"I would recommend this book as a supplement to the PMBOK guide when studying for the PMP exam."
"The content is fine but definitely needs some editing."
"Passed my PMP exam on the first try using this as one of my 2 main study guides."
Best Software Development
Martin has teamed up with his colleagues from Object Mentor to distill their best agile practice of cleaning code “on the fly” into a book that will instill within you the values of a software craftsman and make you a better programmer–but only if you work at it. Clean Code is divided into three parts. How to tell the difference between good and bad code How to write good code and how to transform bad code into good code How to create good names, good functions, good objects, and good classes How to format code for maximum readability How to implement complete error handling without obscuring code logic How to unit test and practice test-driven development. You'll be reading code--lots of code. Each case study is an exercise in cleaning up code--of transforming a code base that has some problems into one that is sound and efficient. Readers will come away from this book understanding. How to tell the difference between good and bad codeHow to write good code and how to transform bad code into good codeHow to create good names, good functions, good objects, and good classesHow to format code for maximum readabilityHow to implement complete error handling without obscuring code logicHow to unit test and practice test-driven developmentThis book is a must for any developer, software engineer, project manager, team lead, or systems analyst with an interest in producing better code.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What's sad about the reality is that 'bad code' will continually increase over time because people don't realize what 'bad code' can do in the long run."
"This is one of the books that I keep multiple copies of around my office for my developers to read."
"Best book for programming, period."
"I believe that mastery of computer programming involves mastery of both the science & the art of programming, and this is the go-to book for the art of computer programming."
"Although highly opinionated, applying the principles and practices here will make any programmer more productive than they might otherwise be."
"This is a great book for learning to write easy, readable, testable code."
"Great writing, with clear examples and explanations."
"Stop reading reviews, start reading the book."
Best Object Oriented Design
Capturing a wealth of experience about the design of object-oriented software, four top-notch designers present a catalog of simple and succinct solutions to commonly occurring design problems. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object Oriented Software is one of those indispensable texts for anyone who develops software using objects. The heart of this title is the "pattern catalog" of 23 basic patterns, ranging from creational patterns, such as Factory and Builder, and structural patterns, such as Facade and Flyweight, to behavioral patterns, such as Command and Mediator. This book isn't an introduction to object-oriented technology or design. It's a book of design patterns that describe simple and elegant solutions to specific problems in object-oriented software design....Once you understand the design patterns and have had an "Aha!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Should be required reading for graduation - but I found this to be much more relatable a few years into my career where I had seen these patterns out in the wild having used or written them without terminology to match."
"Depending on on how you think of programming, this book could be incredibly insightful, or horribly abstract and impractical."
"I have been using this book as a reference on Design Pattern."
"This book will forever stand as a foundation of software development."
"OK, so this title has become almost a bible for the software industry - it seems to get cited by every other author I read, so I thought it was about time I actually bought a copy."
"Even though I program in ABAP, it helps me to translate the pattern into that code."
"Great book for who want to understand each pattern deeply."
"Excelent book."