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.
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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A must read for Software development:
This is one of the key books to read for software development. This book provides the needed background for becoming a team lead/architect. The book is well written. I have had mine for years and I use it as a constant reference.
Applies today as much as it ever did...:
While this book may be old, it is one of the tried and true books of project management. I recall this book being standard material for my IT classes as far back as 2000! I still keep it on my bookshelf and read occasionally. A must have for any developer or those who interact with developers in some way...
Essential Understanding of Software Development:
Like everyone else who has reviewed this book, I give high praises both to the topics in the book and to Steve McConnell's handling of the topics. Not only are the topics extremely well researched and credited, but all areas of the software development life cycle are covered. This is not just one authors pontification of "one way to do things". It completely covers the various software development methodologies and thoroughly discusses, pros / cons, strengths / weaknesses, pinnacles / pitfalls, use /... more info
Excellent Book on the Software Development Process:
"Rapid Development" is an excellent book that covers the software development process. While the book covers a rapid development strategy, there is great value to be found in the book's coverage of a wide range of software development topics, such as estimating, teamwork and risk management, among other topics. This book, in my opinion, represents the gold standard in software development reference books. Anyone involved in developing software should add this book to their library.
