CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement Review

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CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement ReviewLast year my company was rated a CMM level 2 organization, and we decided to begin the transition to CMMi Level 3. Even though we are working with a consultant, the amount of new material was daunting... 'What is the difference between CMM and CMMi?', 'What is the staged vs. continuous representation?', 'what are all of the se SW/SE and iPPD pieces of the CMMi? Are they Optional?'. There are a TON of questions, and answers can be hard to find, especially when the 'official' docs are about as exciting to read as the little pamphlets that come with perscription medicines.
This book answers those questions and more, explaining in pretty practical language what the CMMi is, what the structure of the whole model is about, and finally tunneling down into the details of each process area. I wish I had that knowledge when we were making some of our initial decisions.
I'm not exactly a fan of the CMM/CMMi methodologies, but I have experienced first hand the result of the improvement efforts we have introduced. Ultimately though, I don't think it matters much WHAT methodology you are following; a group of people interested in improving themselves will do well with any methodology, CMMi, RUP, Agile, or otherwise. If you are committed to the CMMi approach, this book needs to be in your toolchest. If you are evaluating different process improvement efforts, this book will help you understand the CMMi approach. It doesn't provide any comparison or contrast to other methodologies; for that you would need other reference material.CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement OverviewThe Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a framework widely used to assess an organization's processes in carrying out specific activities, to guide the implemention of improvements, and to measure progress. There currently are CMM frameworks for software (documented in our CMM book), systems, acquisition, and human resources. The new Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is an attempt by the Department of Defense and a consortium of companies to integrate the CMMs, which often differ in significant ways, into a single coherent model. The CMMI includes two representations -- a staged representation (where organizations can rise from one level to another) and a continuous representation (where there are steady improvements). The market will decide which representation is preferable; this book covers them both with practical examples that allow readers to assess their level of maturity, and most importantly, improve it!

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Systems Analysis and Design (6th Edition) Review

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Systems Analysis and Design (6th Edition) ReviewThe Kendalls have definitely created a comprehensive book on systems analysis. Virtually every aspect is covered here, and in plenty of detail. There are plenty of review questions and problems, hypothetical consulting situations, an ongoing case-study, and even an associated web-based case study.
While being well written, I feel that this text may be a bit overdone. Most sections are longer than neccessary, over-explaining fairly obvious concepts. So although the reader can never complain about being short-changed, I would be amazed if any reader needed ALL of the explanations to understand what was being discussed.
I have also noticed a few cases of dated information creeping through from previous editions. One example is a discussion on groupware that talks about features of Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT, and mentions the 'upcoming' Chicago release. Chicago was the working name for Windows 95, which was hardly 'upcoming' for a text published in 1999.
It feels as if the Kendalls have been adding new information to their revised editions, but not revising thoroughly enough to remove old or out of date references. If a really good job of revision was done here, I think this text could be reduced by at least a hundred pages or so without any real loss of useful content.
Since it emphasises practice more than theory, it may not appeal to all types, but for anyone who needs to know HOW to be a systems analyst, this is probably the book to read.Systems Analysis and Design (6th Edition) Overview Dynamic, comprehensive coverage makes this the perfect book on systems analysis and design, with a reader-friendly presentation of development, methods, tools, and techniques. A variety of review questions and problems, an ongoing case study, and an Internet-based case study offer learners an understandable and motivating look at the SAD field. For production supervisors and other business personnel in similar positions who want a working knowledge—without the in-depth command—of information systems.

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Agile Estimating and Planning Review

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Agile Estimating and Planning ReviewA 5 star review just doesn't mean anything anymore. There are some good ideas in this book, but large stretches of this book are just absurd. This thing reads like homework that was finished on the bus (you can almost see the bumps in the road). The structure of the book is completely haphazard. One minute, we are talking about doing estimates. The next minute we are trying to figure out how a project will pay for itself, then, it's on to how to split up stories that got too big. I was waiting for a sidebar with a recipe for a great chiffon cake. At the end of the chapter on estimating value, the author recommends another book and says that's where his content came from (citational plagiarism is called 'plugging,' Youngster). Then, the chapter on splitting stories made me laugh out loud in places. Things like 'split stories along data lines,' or 'split stories along priority lines' or one of the funniest 'split it along CRUD lines.' Come on.
The good part of this book is the one chapter on estimation and discussion of things like using Fibonacci for bucketing of estimates into story points, the importance of seeing estimates as relative, and the idea of doing planning poker. In short: again, it's an article that was turned into a book by a set of expansion techniques that are astounding for not being illegal, let alone questionable. And all this inside a fortress of testimonials that makes Fort Knox look lightly defended.Agile Estimating and Planning Overview
Praise for Agile Estimating and Planning
"Traditional, deterministic approaches to planning and estimating simply don't cut it on the slippery slopes of today's dynamic, change-driven projects. Mike Cohn's breakthrough book gives us not only the philosophy, but also the guidelines and a proven set of tools that we need to succeed in planning, estimating, and scheduling projects with a high uncertainty factor. At the same time, the author never loses sight of the need to deliver business value to the customer each step of the way."

-Doug DeCarlo, author of eXtreme Project Management: Using Leadership, Principles and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility (Jossey-Bass, 2004)

"We know how to build predictive plans and manage them. But building plans that only estimate the future and then embrace change, challenge most of our training and skills. In Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn once again fills a hole in the Agile practices, this time by showing us a workable approach to Agile estimating and planning. Mike delves into the nooks and crannies of the subject and anticipates many of the questions and nuances of this topic. Students of Agile processes will recognize that this book is truly about agility, bridging many of the practices between Scrum and ExtremeProgramming."

-Ken Schwaber, Scrum evangelist, Agile Alliance cofounder, and signatory to the Agile Manifesto

"In Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn has, for the first time, brought together most everything that the Agile community has learned about the subject. The book is clear, well organized, and a pleasant and valuable read. It goes into all the necessary detail, and at the same time keeps the reader's burden low. We can dig in as deeply as we need to, without too much detail before we need it. The book really brings together everything we have learned about Agile estimation and planning over the past decade. It will serve its readers well."

-Ron Jeffries, www.XProgramming.com, author of Extreme Programming Installed (Addison-Wesley, 2001) and Extreme Programming Adventures in C# (Microsoft Press, 2004)

"Agile Estimating and Planning provides a view of planning that's balanced between theory and practice, and it is supported by enough concrete experiences to lend it credibility. I particularly like the quote 'planning is a quest for value.' It points to a new, more positive attitude toward planning that goes beyond the 'necessary evil' view that I sometimes hold."

-Kent Beck, author of Extreme Programming Explained, Second Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2005)

"Up-front planning is still the most critical part of software development. Agile software development requires Agile planning techniques. This book shows you how to employ Agile planning in a succinct, practical, and easy-to-follow manner."

-Adam Rogers, Ultimate Software

"Mike does a great follow-up to User Stories Applied by continuing to provide Agile teams with the practical approaches and techniques to increase agility. In this book, Mike provides time-proven and well-tested methods for being successful with the multiple levels of planning and estimating required by Agile. This book is the first to detail the disciplines of Agile estimating and planning, in ways that rival my 1980 civil engineering texts on CPM Planning and Estimating."

-Ryan Martens, President and Founder, Rally Software Development Corporation

"With insight and clarity, Mike Cohn shows how to effectively produce software of high business value. With Agile estimation and planning, you focus effort where it really counts, and continue to do so as circumstances change."

-Rick Mugridge, Rimu Research Ltd., and lead author, Fit for Developing Software (Prentice Hall, 2005)

"Finally! The groundbreaking book my clients have been clamoring for! Agile Estimating and Planning demystifies the process of defining, driving, and delivering great software that matters to the business. Mike's clarity, insight, and experience leap out through every page of this book, offering an approach that is relevant and immediately useful to all members of an Agile project."

-Kert D. Peterson, President, Enterprise Agile Group, LLC

"This isn't yet another generic book on Agile software development. Agile Estimating and Planning fills a gap left by most of the other books and gives you important, practical, down-to-earth techniques needed to be successful on Agile development projects."

-Steve Tockey, Principal Consultant, Construx Software

"Estimation, planning, and tracking is a trinity. If you don't do one of them, you don't need the other two. This book provides very practical knowledge for estimation, planning, prioritizing, and tracking. It should be compulsory subject matter for project managers and their teams, even if they hesitate to call themselves Agile."

-Niels Malotaux, Project Coach

"Effective planning is an important, but often misunderstood, part of any successful Agile project. With Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn has given us a definitive guide to a wide range of Agile estimating and planning practices. With his clear and practical style, Mike not only explains how to successfully get started planning an Agile project, but also provides a wealth of tips and advice for improving any team's Agile planning process. This book is a must-read for managers, coaches, and members of Agile teams."

-Paul Hodgetts, Agile coach and CEO, Agile Logic

"Mike's writing style captures the essence of agility-just the right amount of information to bring clarity to the reader. This book provides an excellent guide for all Agile practitioners, both seasoned and novice."

-Robert Holler, President and CEO, VersionOne, LLC

"It is as if Mike took the distilled knowledge regarding planning and estimation of a great Agile developer (which he is) and laid out all he knows in an easily understandable manner. More importantly, he has a great mix of concepts with real-world examples finished off with a case study so the reader can relate the information to their own situation. Unless you are already an expert Agile planner and estimator, this book is for you."

-Alan Shalloway, CEO, Senior Consultant, Net Objectives, and coauthor of Design Patterns Explained, Second Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2005)

"Although I had plenty of XP experience before trying out Mike Cohn's Agile planning practices, the effectiveness of the practical and proven techniques in this book blew me away! The book recognizes that people, not tools or processes, produce great software, and that teams benefit most by learning about their project and their product as they go. The examples in the book are concrete, easily grasped, and simply reek of common sense. This book will help teams (whether Agile or not) deliver more value, more often, and have fun doing it! Whether you're a manager or a programmer, a tester or a CEO, part of an Agile team, or just looking for a way to stamp out chaos and death marches, this book will guide you."

-Lisa Crispin, coauthor of Testing Extreme Programming (Addison-Wesley, 2003)

"Mike Cohn does an excellent job demonstrating how an Agile approach can address issues of risk and uncertainty in order to provide more meaningful estimates and plans for software projects."

-Todd Little, Senior Development Manager, Landmark Graphics

"Mike Cohn explains his approach to Agile planning, and shows how 'critical chain' thinking can be used to effectively buffer both schedule and features. As with User Stories Applied, this book is easy to read and grounded in real-world experience."

-Bill Wake, author of Refactoring Workbook (Addison-Wesley, 2003)

"Mike brings this book to life with real-world examples that help reveal how and why an Agile approach works for planning software development projects. This book has great breadth, ranging from the fundamentals of release planning to advanced topics such as financial aspects of prioritization. I can see this book becoming an invaluable aid to Agile project managers, as it provides a wealth of practical tips such as how to set iteration length and boot-strap velocity, and communicate progress."

-Rachel Davies, Independent Consultant

"There has been a need for a solid, pragmatic book on the long-term vision of an Agile Project for project managers. Agile Estimating and Planning addresses this need.It's not theory-this book contains project-tested practices that have been used on Agile projects. As Mike's test subjects, we applied these practices to the development of video games (one of the most unpredictable project environments you can imagine) with success."

-Clinton Keith, Chief Technical Officer, High Moon Studios

"When I first heard Mike Cohn speak, I was impressed by a rare combination of qualities: deep experience and understanding in modern iterative and Agile methods; a drive to find and validate easy, high-impact solutions beyond the status quo of traditional (usually ineffective) methods; and the passion and clarity of a natural coach. These qualities are evident in this wonderful, practical guide. I estimate you won't be disappointed in studying and applying his advice."

-Craig Larman, Chief Scientist, Valtech, and author of Applying UML and Patterns, Third Edition (Prentice Hall, 2005) and Agile and Iterative Development (Addison-Wesley, 2004)

"Agile Estimating and Planning is a critical guide on how to successfully provide value to customers of IT services. This book is filled with clear examples that are essential-from project team...

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The Business Analyst's Handbook Review

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The Business Analyst's Handbook ReviewThis book has solid reference material that experienced Business Analysts can utilize on virtually any assignment. This is not the best book for a new Business Analyst and is really geared towards a practitioner that understands their craft and appreciates additional guidance. Coverage of techniques and models is very comprehensive.The Business Analyst's Handbook OverviewThe Business Analyst (BA) plays an important role as liaison between business stakeholders and the technical team (software developers, vendors, etc.), ensuring that business needs are reflected in any software solution. Despite the importance of the job, there is currently no book specifically designed as a comprehensive reference manual for the working BA. The Business Analyst's Handbook solves this problem by providing a useful compendium of tools, tables, lists, and templates that BAs can use on-the-job to carry out their tasks. For example, you might be preparing for an interview session and use the book's checklist of interviewees to verify whether there is appropriate coverage of business stakeholders. Or you might be asked to review some diagrams and refer to the Glossaries of Symbols (organized by diagram type) for guidance. Or you may be asked to prepare textual requirements documentation and refer to the Business Requirement template for a list of artifacts and table of contents. Whatever your BA needs, the Business Analyst's Handbook places the necessary information right at your fingertips.

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Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional) Review

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Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional) ReviewOur organization recently implemented Scrum, and although the
Beedle/Schwaber book was great to get us off the ground on Scrum
theory, we immediately had many questions once we actually tried to implement it in real life projects. I agree with the notion that Scrum is conceptually easy to understand, but actually quite complex to implement correctly. The scrum forum has been helpful, but we really needed a cohesive reference of situational problems. The APMWS book really hit the nail on the head and delivered what we needed the most: a practical guide to Scrum with anecdotes and "what happens if..." situations from real world Scrum implementations. This came just in time for us, and we are feeling more confident for our upcoming certification class.
The appendices in the back are also very helpful. The "Rules"
appendix is perfect as a quick introduction to Scrum for new Team
members and Product Owners. It's actually quite detailed for being such a short appendix.
Also, for newbies the three main Roles are very nicely explained. We had some misconceptions that were immediately addressed by this book.
Anyway, from a Scrum newbie that is faced with implementation issues, thanks to Ken for putting together a real world implementation guide.Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional) Overview
The rules and practices for Scrum—a simple process for managing complex projects—are few, straightforward, and easy to learn. But Scrum's simplicity itself—its lack of prescription—can be disarming, and new practitioners often find themselves reverting to old project management habits and tools and yielding lesser results. In this illuminating series of case studies, Scrum co-creator and evangelist Ken Schwaber identifies the real-world lessons—the successes and failures—culled from his years of experience coaching companies in agile project management. Through them, you'll understand how to use Scrum to solve complex problems and drive better results—delivering more valuable software faster.

Gain the foundation in Scrum theory—and practice—you need to:

Rein in even the most complex, unwieldy projects
Effectively manage unknown or changing product requirements
Simplify the chain of command with self-managing development teams
Receive clearer specifications—and feedback—from customers
Greatly reduce project planning time and required tools
Build—and release—products in 30-day cycles so clients get deliverables earlier
Avoid missteps by regularly inspecting, reporting on, and fine-tuning projects
Support multiple teams working on a large-scale project from many geographic locations
Maximize return on investment!


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The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)) Review

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The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)) ReviewAfter many years as project manager in product development, I embarked on two software development projects, a new area for me, and found that some of my management skills were not relevant. After the first project stumbled, I purchased several software project management books and, after working through them in a disciplined way (taking notes on salient points and scaling them on their helpfulness for my work) found this to be the best. It is comprehensive - perhaps a little too wordy at times - and packed with practical advice. The lists of questions which come up regularly in this book can be turned into management check lists. Scott Berkun's points anticipated many of the problems I have since encountered; I am now reading this book for the second time and noticing things that were missed on the first read. As my experience has grown, I have come to recognize the voice of greater experience speaking through this book. Recommended for novices and experienced software project managers.The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)) Overview
The Art of Project Management covers it all--from practical methods for making sure work gets done right and on time, to the mindset that can make you a great leader motivating your team to do their best. Reading this was like reading the blueprint for how the best projects are managed at Microsoft... I wish we always put these lessons into action!" --Joe Belfiore, General Manager, E-home Division, Microsoft Corporation "Berkun has written a fast paced, jargon-free and witty guide to what he wisely refers to as the 'art' of project management.It's a great introduction to the discipline.Seasoned and new managers will benefit from Berkun's perspectives." --Joe Mirza, Director, CNET Networks (Cnet.com) "Most books with the words 'project management' in the title are dry tomes. If that's what you are expecting to hear from Berkun's book, you will be pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's about project management.But it's also about creativity, situational problem-solving, and leadership.If you're a team member, project manager, or even a non-technical stakeholder, Scott offers dozens of practical tools and techniques you can use, and questions you can ask, to ensure your projects succeed." --Bill Bliss, Senior VP of product and customer experience, expedia.com In The Art of Project Management, you'll learn from a veteran manager of software and web development how to plan, manage, and lead projects. This personal account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the industry distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice. Inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, this is the book you and your team need to have within arms reach. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come. Topics include:

How to make things happen
Making good decisions
Specifications and requirements
Ideas and what to do with them
How not to annoy people
Leadership and trust
The truth about making dates
What to do when things go wrong


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PMP in Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for the PMP Exam Review

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PMP in Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for the PMP Exam ReviewI've just passed the PMP exam (with flying colors) and I want to share my experience regarding the PMP exam study books with my fellow project managers who are planning to prepare for the PMP exam. On one hand I was happy to see so many PMP books available to help me, and on the other hand I was disappointed to see that most of them were outrageously or unreasonably high priced. However, I ended up buying and reading quite a few of them from cover to cover. Here are short reviews for the top four (in my opinion) of them:
1. This book. PMP In Depth by Paul Sanghera, Thomson Course Technology.
I found this book best among all the PMP books. It's a self contained, to the point, and yet very comprehensive: all the topics (within the scope of the exam) are covered with adequate depth. The material is presented in a perfect logical learning sequence, and there is no hopping from topic to topic: perfect flow. Unlike other books, this book presents the material in order of the process groups (initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing), which is consistent with the way the PMP exam objectives (domains) by PMI are organized. And this is the only PMP exam book that explains the exam objectives (covered in each chapter) in the beginning of the chapter. This way you are always sure which exam objective you are working on, and it makes the exam preparation much easier and free of confusion. This is also a good book for the CAPM exam because it's self contained, easy, and interesting read. All concepts are clearly defined and explained, and the definitions are also listed at the end of each chapter for easy reference. There is a complete practice exam at the end of the book with very detailed answers: why a correct answer is correct and an incorrect answer is incorrect. I found that the practice exam combined with the review questions (and their detailed answers) at the end of each chapter makes enough number of questions to prepare me for the actual exam. I found the tone and difficulty level of the questions very compatible with the actual exam.
Unlike most of other PMP books, this book is very reasonably priced. I recommend this book to anyone who is planning to prepare for the PMP exam, CAPM exam, or just want to learn the basics of project management.
2. The PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy, RMC Publications.
This is not a self contained book. There are lots of references to PMBOK Guide. Lots of empty pages for you to fill. That said, it is a very good book (or should I call it an excellent collection of lecture notes) if you are either taking a course from the author or from an instructor who is using this book as a text book. There are lots of exercises. I feel that the underlying assumption is that the gaps in the book will be filled either by PMBOK Guide or by the instructor in the course. So, Topics are not covered with enough depth. Also there is a poor flow and a lots of hopping from topic to topic. The presentation of the material is organized around knowledge areas, whereas the exam objectives are organized in order of the process groups. That breaks the exam objective coverage into pieces, and may cause confusion. The book is, in my opinion, outrageously high priced.
Overall, I recommend this book if you are taking a course that uses this book as a textbook.
3. The PMP Exam by Andy Crowe; Velociteach.
This is another good book by its own virtue. At first, it appears like self contained, but then you find that there is not enough depth to most of the topics covered in this book. This is easy to read, but you cannot pass the exam just by reading this book. Also, there are quite a few processes for which some input items, output items, or tools and techniques are missing. This could be very serious if you are only using this book. So, if you use this book, do not count on it alone. The presentation of the material is organized around knowledge areas, whereas the exam objectives are organized in order of the process groups. That breaks the exam objective coverage into pieces, and may cause confusion. The book, in my opinion, is unreasonably high priced.
I recommend this book if you are looking for a quick and easy review of topics.
4. PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide by Joseph Philips, McGraw-Hill Osborne. This is another good PMP book. It covers almost all the topics and some topics in quite detail, actually. However, at places, it is not very compatible with the PMBOK Guide. This is not necessarily a bad thing if you are learning about project management in general. But you need to be careful when you are preparing for the PMP exam. So, do not begin with this book. This also organizes the material along the knowledge areas and breaks the exam objectives into pieces.
PMP in Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for the PMP Exam OverviewThe primary purpose of this book is to help you pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Because the book has a laser-sharp focus on the exam objectives, expert project managers who want to pass the PMP exam can use this book to ensure that they do not miss any objective. Yet this is not simply an exam-cram book. The chapters and the sections within each chapter are presented in a logical learning sequence: A topic and a chapter only depend upon the previously covered topics and chapters, and there is no hopping from topic to topic. The concepts and topics, both simple and complex, are clearly explained when they appear for the first time. No prior knowledge of project management is assumed. This facilitates stepwise learning, prevents confusion, and makes this book useful for anyone who wants to get up to speed quickly to learn the fundamentals of project management, pass the PMP exam, or both, even if they are new to the discipline of project management. A fulllength practice exam with fully explained answers is also included.

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System Analysis, Design, and Development: Concepts, Principles, and Practices (Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management) Review

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System Analysis, Design, and Development: Concepts, Principles, and Practices (Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management) Review
.
.
.
The author wrote this beook because he was concerned that many of the SE textbooks on the market were too philosophical, and decided to channel his energies into creating a text
that reflected his realities as an SE practitioner and program
manager.
The book includes
1) conceptual foundations in SE,
2) HOW TOs,
and
3) practitioner-based knowledge.
Since SE applies to any type of system from Space Shuttles to PDAs, organizations, services etc., Wasson built on the basic SE foundations from aerospace and defense in formulating a fresh new approach that canbe applied to any business domain - construction, communications, financial, medical, educational, transportation, etc.
The 57 chapters are "lesson oriented", developed for upper-undergraduate to graduate level students, focus on specific SE topics, and include two types of exercises: development of general systems, products, and services and organizational centric.
Instructors can take the topics to any level of detail they desire, depending on their audience.
System Analysis, Design, and Development: Concepts, Principles, and Practices (Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management) Overview
Written in a practical, easy to understand style, this text provides a step-by-step guide to System Analysis and Engineering by introducing concepts, principles, and practices via a progression of topical, lesson oriented chapters.
Each chapter focuses on specific aspects of system analysis, design, and development, and includes definitions of key terms, examples, author's notes, key principles, and challenging exercises that teach readers to apply their knowledge to real world systems.
Concepts and methodologies presented can be applied by organizations in business sectors such as transportation, construction, medical, financial, education, aerospace and defense, utilities, government, and others, regardless of size.
An excellent undergraduate or graduate-level textbook in systems analysis and engineering, this book is written for both new and experienced professionals who acquire, design, develop, deploy, operate, or support systems, products, or services.


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Applied Software Project Management Review

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Applied Software Project Management ReviewI've tried many project management processes and have searched through most of the popular literature over the years trying to find the best way to implement real process change. Much of the literature describes the processes well but ignores the implementation entirely. Applied Software Project Management does a wonderful job both describing the various tools and techniques and giving detailed instructions on how to implement them. The book even goes so far as to describing how to implement processes in an organization that is openly hostile to change and/or process in general.
I find this book to be an invaluable resource for any project manager. It's great for newbies, who will learn all the vocabulary and process theory. Experienced project managers will learn new tools and techniques as well as innovatives ways of getting them implemented.Applied Software Project Management Overview
"If you're looking for solid, easy-to-follow advice on estimation, requirements gathering, managing change, and more, you can stop now: this is the book for you." --Scott Berkun, Author ofThe Art of Project Management

What makes software projects succeed? It takes more than a good idea and a team of talented programmers. A project manager needs to know how to guide the team through the entire software project. There are common pitfalls that plague all software projects and rookie mistakes that are made repeatedly--sometimes by the same people! Avoiding these pitfalls is not hard, but it is not necessarily intuitive. Luckily, there are tried and true techniques that can help any project manager.

In Applied Software Project Management, Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene provide you with tools, techniques, and practices that you can use on your own projects right away. This book supplies you with the information you need to diagnose your team's situation and presents practical advice to help you achieve your goal of building better software.

Topics include:

Planning a software project
Helping a team estimate its workload
Building a schedule
Gathering software requirements and creating use cases
Improving programming with refactoring, unit testing, and version control
Managing an outsourced project
Testing software

Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman have been building software together since 1998. Andrew comes from a programming background and has managed teams of requirements analysts, designers, and developers. Jennifer has a testing background and has managed teams of architects, developers, and testers. She has led multiple large-scale outsourced projects. Between the two of them, they have managed every aspect of software development. They have worked in a wide range of industries, including finance, telecommunications, media, nonprofit, entertainment, natural-language processing, science, and academia. For more information about them and this book, visit http://www.stellman-greene.com.


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Software Engineering: (Update) (8th Edition) Review

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Software Engineering: (Update) (8th Edition) ReviewI used this book as the text in my software engineering class in the spring semester of 2008. When I was evaluating it for potential adoption, I did not read through it in detail, I looked over the chapter titles and subtitles, read the first few chapters and examined the exercises at the end of the first few chapters. As the semester progressed, I found myself wishing I had read further into the text.
As I moved through the chapters, I found myself mentally noting over and over again that topics are repeated. When the class was over, I asked the students their opinion of the book and they were unanimous, with no prompting from me, in saying that there is a great deal of repetition after the first chapters.
I have no complaint about the quality of exposition or the coverage of software engineering in this book. My reason for not continuing to use it in future classes is solely due to my belief that the size could have been reduced from the current 840 pages to around 600 pages with no real loss of content of flow.
Software Engineering: (Update) (8th Edition) OverviewTHE most current Software Engineering text in the market– quality trusted coverage, practical case studies, strong lecturer support.

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Software Project Survival Guide (Pro -- Best Practices) Review

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Software Project Survival Guide (Pro -- Best Practices) ReviewI was disappointed in this book - perhaps it was a problem with expectations. McConnell's previous books - Code Complete and Rapid Development -were very well written and provided valuable insights into best practices in the computer industry. By attempting to do the same thing here, the author missed the mark. The Software Project Survival Guide presents a road map marked with good practice applied in a mature organization that understands the nature of software and responds rationally, providing the resources and time required to do the job right. The overwhelming majority of people who are taking on their first project management job will have few, if any, of the benefits that this book takes for granted.
Don't get me wrong. This is a great collection of really good ideas and it's really well written, but it doesn't give much guidance to the first-time project manager who needs to deal with misdirection and misunderstanding from those who he or she reports to. The book presents a fine set of suggestions on "Techniques for Really Good Project Management," but there isn't much on "Survival."Software Project Survival Guide (Pro -- Best Practices) Overview
Equip yourself with SOFTWARE PROJECT SURVIVAL GUIDE. It's for everyone with a stake in the outcome of a development project--and especially for those without formal software project management training. That includes top managers, executives, clients, investors, end-user representatives, project managers, and technical leads.

Here you'll find guidance from the acclaimed author of the classics CODE COMPLETE and RAPID DEVELOPMENT. Steve McConnell draws on solid research and a career's worth of hard-won experience to map the surest path to your goal--what he calls "one specific approach to software development that works pretty well most of the time for most projects." Nineteen chapters in four sections cover the concepts and strategies you need for mastering the development process, including planning, design, management, quality assurance, testing, and archiving. For newcomers and seasoned project managers alike, SOFTWARE PROJECT SURVIVAL GUIDE draws on a vast store of techniques to create an elegantly simplified and reliable framework for project management success.

So don't worry about wandering among complex sets of project management techniques that require years to sort out and master. SOFTWARE PROJECT SURVIVAL GUIDE goes straight to the heart of the matter to help your projects succeed. And that makes it a required addition to every professional's bookshelf.


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Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity Review

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Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity ReviewThere is a fair bit of hard-won wisdom here. It covers every aspect of the programming world, from praise of hardware, through product management and economics, back to testing and coding style, and on and on. There are a few real gems among these 45 essays (plus intro and appendix), untrammeled by the need for consistency. He's certainly unabashed about bucking current fashions, including all the silliness seen under the revival tent of the eXtremists.
At several points, Joel rails against the false economies of making code smaller and sniggers at the people to whom it matters so much, then (ch 39) he rails against the size of a Microsoft runtime support package. He also points out that antialiased fonts, other than things like headlines, are a bad idea. That was already common knowledge around DEC by about 1980, since the visibly blurred margins of characters led to eyestrain as the focussing muscles fruitlessly tried to find the edge. Modern display technology with far smaller pixel sizes seems to have reversed that decision, however, except possibly at the smallest character sizes - a blow-up of a screen capture will often show antialiasing on body text that looks quite good. If he came on a bit less strong to start with, these annoyances would be a lot less annying.
Joel's incredibly high opinion of Joel wore on me after a while. Despite all the good in this book, I had to drag myself through the last half of his pontifications, repetition, and tendency towards the absolute. If you're already a fan of his other writing, that might not bother you. For me, Joel, in his role as high priest in the cult of Joel, became tiresome. I'm sure he's a skilled developer and savvy business man, but I really don't think I'd enjoy meeting him.
//wiredweirdJoel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity OverviewThis is a selection of essays from the author's Web site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com. Joel Spolsky started the web log in March 2000 in order to offer his insights, based on years of experience, on how to improve the world of programming. His extraordinary writing skills, technical knowledge, and caustic wit have made him a programming guru. This log has become infamous among the programming world, and is linked to more than 600 other websites and translated into 30+ languages!This book covers every imaginable aspect of software programming, from the best way to write code to the best way to design an office in which to write code. The book will relate to all software programmers (Microsoft and Open Source), anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of programming, or anyone trying to manage a programmer. Spolsky will be writing an introduction for the book.

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Agile Adoption Patterns: A Roadmap to Organizational Success Review

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Agile Adoption Patterns: A Roadmap to Organizational Success ReviewThere are many things I like about this book, not the least of which is that it is true to the "spirit" of patterns and agile -- it does not promise easy answers or quick fixes but offers down-to-earth advice based on experience. The patterns do a good job of capturing that experience but the way the patterns are written, with "threads" of stories throughout is not only convincing but enjoyable reading. I like being able to follow the real-life adventures of the same developers who struggle to solve real problems across several patterns. I also like the case study in Chapter 46 where a real company with real problems does a pretty good job of moving forward, but it's not a "and they all lived happily ever after" scenario. We're overwhelmed with books and advice these days, so it's nice to see someone who offers help and hope but not hype!Agile Adoption Patterns: A Roadmap to Organizational Success OverviewProven Patterns and Techniques for Succeeding with Agile in Your OrganizationAgile methods promise to help you create software that delivers far more business value—and do it faster, at lower cost, and with less pain. However, many organizations struggle with implementation and leveraging these methods to their full benefit. In this book, Amr Elssamadisy identifies the powerful lessons that have been learned about successfully moving to agile and distills them into 30 proven agile adoption patterns. Elssamadisy walks you through the process of defining your optimal agile adoption strategy with case studies and hands-on exercises that illuminate the key points. He systematically examines the most common obstacles to agile implementation, identifying proven solutions. You'll learn where to start, how to choose the best agile practices for your business and technical environment, and how to adopt agility incrementally, building on steadily growing success. Next, he presents the definitive agile adoption pattern reference: all the information you need to implement the strategy that you've already defined. Utilizing the classic pattern format, he explains each agile solution in its proper context, revealing why it works—and how to make the most of it. The pattern reference prepares you to Understand the core drivers, principles, and values associated with agile successTightly focus development on delivering business value–and recognize the "smells" of a project headed off trackGain rapid, effective feedback practices: iteration, kickoff and stand-up meetings, demos, retrospectives, and much moreFoster team development: co-location, self-organization, cross-functional roles, and how to bring the customer aboardFacilitate technical tasks and processes: testing, refactoring, continuous integration, simple design, collective code ownership, and pair programmingAct as an effective coach, learning to engage the community and promote learningIntegrate "clusters" of agile practices that work exceptionally well togetherAgile Adoption Patterns will help you whether you're planning your first agile project, trying to improve your next project, or evangelizing agility throughout your organization. This actionable advice is designed to work with any agile method, from XP and Scrum to Crystal Clear and Lean. The practical insights will make you more effective in any agile project role: as leader, developer, architect, or customer.Foreword xxiii & xxviPreface xxviiAcknowledgments xxxiiiAbout the Author xxxviiPart 1: Thoughts about Software Development 1Chapter 1: Learning Is the Bottleneck 3Chapter 2: Personal Agility for Potent Agile Adoption 13Part 2: Crafting an Agile Adoption Strategy 21Chapter 3: Business Value 23Chapter 4: Smells 29Chapter 5: Adopting Agile Practices 37Part 3: The Pattern Catalog 53Chapter 6: The Patterns of Agile Practice Adoption 55Chapter 7: Goal 61Chapter 8: Cycle 65Part 3.1: Feedback Practices 69Chapter 9: Iteration 71Chapter 10: Kickoff Meeting 77Chapter 11: Backlog 81Chapter 12: Planning Poker 87Chapter 13: Stand-Up Meeting 93Chapter 14: Done State 99Chapter 15: Demo 103Chapter 16: Retrospective 109Chapter 17: Release Often 115Chapter 18: Co-Located Team 119Chapter 19: Self-Organizing Team 125Chapter 20: Cross-Functional Team 131Chapter 21: Customer Part of Team 137Chapter 22: Evocative Document 143Chapter 23: User Story 149Chapter 24: Use Case 153Chapter 25: Information Radiator 157Part 3.2: Technical Practices 161Chapter 26: Automated Developer Tests 163Chapter 27: Test-Last Development 173Chapter 28: Test-First Development 177Chapter 29: Refactoring 183Chapter 30: Continuous Integration 189Chapter 31: Simple Design 197Chapter 32: Functional Tests 203 Chapter 33: Collective Code Ownership 219Chapter 34: Pair Programming 223Part 3.3: Supporting Practices 229Chapter 35: Coach 231Chapter 36: Engage the Community 235Chapter 37: Reading Circle 239Chapter 38: Workshop 245Chapter 39: Classroom Training 249Part 3.4: The Clusters 255Chapter 40: Agile Iteration 257Chapter 41: Communication Cluster 263Chapter 42: Evolutionary Design 269Chapter 43: Test-Driven Development 277Chapter 44: Test-Driven Requirements 285Part 4: Case Studies 293Chapter 45: BabyCenter 295 Chapter 46: Company X 305Part 5: Appendices 321Appendix A: Pattern to Business Value Mappings 323Appendix B: Pattern-to-Smell Mappings 325Appendix C: Getting the Most from Agile Practice Patterns 327 Appendix D: Further Reading 331Bibliography 333Index 339

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Software Estimation Best Practices, Tools & Techniques: A Complete Guide for Software Project Estimators Review

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Software Estimation Best Practices, Tools & Techniques: A Complete Guide for Software Project Estimators ReviewMurali Chemuturi has written an excellent book that provides a nice overview of both the philosophy and practices of software estimation. In it, he covers the theories and practical realities of estimating software development projects in a simple to read, and easy to understand writing style. Software Estimation provides an excellent summary of various methods of software sizing and covers the pros & cons of each, including an excellent primer on Function Point Analysis. It also includes a very helpful review of Software Size Units, which is the latest way to think about the overall size of a software project taking into account both data and process. SSU seeks to overcome much of the difficulty and ambiguity of trying to count "points" needed for FPA.
One of my personal pet peeves is when developers do not include adequate effort in their estimates for test preparation and the overall testing effort. The book covers this area well and includes an excellent overview of incorporating testing into all your estimates, plus it explains multiple ways to help you do it. Since this is a significant area for me in my work, I have read this section over several times and have already incorporated many of the concepts and metrics covered in this book into my projects.
The only area that is not thoroughly covered in this book is how to estimate using iterative or Agile methodologies, as it tends to focus on the traditional software lifecycle process. However, there is still more than enough valuable information in this excellent book. Chemuturi's book is within easy reach on my desk, and is often stashed in my briefcase. It has easily become my bible for all things related to estimating software application development projects. It is a great value and should become part of any software development manager's toolkit.
Larry Hanthorn
Director, Delivery Excellence
Microsoft Corporation
Software Estimation Best Practices, Tools & Techniques: A Complete Guide for Software Project Estimators OverviewSoftware Estimation Best Practices, Tools & Techniques covers all facets of software estimation. It provides a detailed explanation of the various methods for estimating software size, development effort, cost, and schedule, including a comprehensive explanation of test effort estimation. This unique desk reference, for the novice to expert, also offers direction on which methods are most appropriate for each of the different software project types commonly executed and criteria for selecting software estimation tools. Key Features-- Presents software estimation best practices and shows how to avoid common pitfalls-- Demonstrates a practical methodology with templates for using Delphi estimation and analogy-based estimation for software projects-- Introduces a new method referred to as software size units for measuring software size that does not make use of the untenable concept of complexity for adjusting software size-- Provides useful methods for converting software size to effort, deriving true productivity, and analyzing variances between actual and estimated values as a tool for productivity improvement-- WAV offers a free downloadable test effort estimation tool (TPPal), a software size unit estimation tool (SSUPal), and a 180-day demo for a comprehensive estimation tool known as EstimatorPal available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center at jrosspub.com

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Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction Review

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Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction ReviewIt was a pleasure to find out that this book had been updated when I reads news of it. CC2 is a great one-stop 'place' to go to when you want a great excuse to apply Stephen Covey's 'Sharpen The Saw' principle. This updated version has some solid, fantastic, expert instruction on designing from scratch, whether it's OO, writing better routines, psuedocode, nested loops, or at the higher level: agile methods, etc..
McConnell's approach of talking to you, the programmer, is ideal: not too much humor, and an easy to read, but professional approach in the way he donates the contents of his brain: i.e. McConnell's lengthy experience in the field.
I read just a couple of paragraphs in a chapter before work one morning, and the advice I picked up saved so much time that same day. And it wasn't even specific to coding instruction. It was a piece of advice on a philosophy on how he personally determines how much upfront design he should settle on before coding.

Reading Software Construction material of this caliber, as compared to some, yet another, new book on a specific language that might look impressive to know, is what makes for a solid programmer.
Refreshing your overall S/W construction knowledge gives you so much more of your life back, because you will have way less bugs and a lot more fun maintaining the high-quality code you are now writing because of CC2.
I mentioned already that he covers OO, but I wanted to emphasize the excellent material he offers in this area. I am now seeing the benefit of measuring the quality of your classes by this guideline: are they true Abstract Data Types. ( rather than just trying to use the syntax that the language provides to its potential).
Great job on a rather thorough re-write of a S/W development staple.

Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction Overview
Widely considered one of the best practical guides to programming, Steve McConnell's original CODE COMPLETE has been helping developers write better software for more than a decade. Now this classic book has been fully updated and revised with leading-edge practices—and hundreds of new code samples—illustrating the art and science of software construction. Capturing the body of knowledge available from research, academia, and everyday commercial practice, McConnell synthesizes the most effective techniques and must-know principles into clear, pragmatic guidance. No matter what your experience level, development environment, or project size, this book will inform and stimulate your thinking—and help you build the highest quality code.

Discover the timeless techniques and strategies that help you:

Design for minimum complexity and maximum creativity
Reap the benefits of collaborative development
Apply defensive programming techniques to reduce and flush out errors
Exploit opportunities to refactor—or evolve—code, and do it safely
Use construction practices that are right-weight for your project
Debug problems quickly and effectively
Resolve critical construction issues early and correctly
Build quality into the beginning, middle, and end of your project


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