Beyond Chaos : The Expert Edge in Managing Software Development

The popularity of the Management Forum in "Software Development Magazine" is not surprising. Because the majority of software development projects fail to come in on time, on budget, or on specification, software development managers are constantly seeking out management approaches and techniques that will help them achieve success.

Many software development projects deteriorate into a state of chaos.

In "Beyond Chaos", the keenest contributions to the Management Forum have been incorporated into a single volume to reveal best practices in managing software projects and organizations.

The forty-five essays contained in this book are written by many of the leading names in software development, software engineering, and technical management.

Each piece has been selected and edited to provide highly focused ideas and suggestions that can be translated into immediate practice.

Pragmatic and provocative, they address key management concerns involving people, planning and productivity, coping under pressure, quality, development processes, and leadership and teamwork.Highlights of the book include: Larry Constantine, "Dealing with Difficult People: Changing the Changeable"; Karl Wiegers, "First Things First: A Project Manager's Primer"; Capers Jones, "Productivity by the Numbers: What Can Speed Up or Slow Down Software Development"; Ed Yourdon, "Death March: Surviving a Hopeless Project"; Dave Thomas, "Web-Time Development: High-Speed Software Engineering"; Meilir Page-Jones, "Seduced by Reuse: Realizing Reusable Components"; Jim Highsmith, "Order for Free: An Organic Model for Adaptation"; and, Steve McConnell, "Managing Outsourced Projects: Project Management Inside-Out".

These and many more insightful and advisory essays together represent the cutting edge in software development management and the collective wisdom of the field's most knowledgeable practitioners.

Both entertaining and enlightening, "Beyond Chaos" will enrich your skills and enhance your deeper understanding of the process of bringing software from idea to reality.