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Title: Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results by David J. Anderson, David Anderson ISBN: 0-13-142460-2 Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $44.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (10 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The Missing Link
Comment: Ignore the 4 stars, that's just because I feel the subject can and will get a better book, however this book has paved the way.
I've been looking at and reading about agile methodologies for a long time, and there has always been something missing, and that is how they can be tied in with known business management science. The measurement problem, and in particular, the measurement of software development _value_ hinders any attempt software development staff might make to change processes based on their knowledge of development alone. This book offers a clear way forward in breaking down that problem. It doesn't solve the problem by any means, but we should all hope that it is the start of a deeper insight into the costs and values of development that will allow all of us to measure and justify methods (agile or not) in business terms.
Read it, and get your boss to read it if you can.
Rating: 5
Summary: Superlative and profound
Comment: Anderson takes agile development, which is a loose-leaf collection of unintegrated practices, and transforms it into a serious discipline with a firm foundation. He accomplishes this by borrowing concepts from manufacturing (like theory of constraints) and applying them to software development. Such a book could only be written by someone thoroughly familiar with both software development and manufacturing; fortunately the author seems quite knowledgeable about both.
In all, this book is serious, contentful, and even profound at times. It is by far the best book I've read on the topic in quite a long while.
Rating: 4
Summary: Solid message but lacking in examples
Comment: Agile Management for Software Engineering is targeted for managers and executives working in the software industry. Its focus is on introducing a technique called Throughput Accounting for measuring and tracking software projects. The author basically shows how traditional cost accounting based methods lead to suboptimal business results and how to correct that situation by applying principles of Lean Production and the Theory of Constraints.
The author covers different aspects of management in the software industry one by one--including project management, project planning, production metrics, staffing, resource planning, and product management--explaining how the concepts of Throughput Accounting fit into the picture.
The latter half of the book is dedicated to showing how the theory presented can be applied to a number of agile software processes, namely Feature Driven Development, Extreme Programming, and Scrum.
The first part of the book is a bit difficult to follow due to slightly repetitive text and never-ending acronyms. I wouldn't count this as a defect, however, as the subject of introducing financial measures inevitably requires a certain amount of equations in between beautiful words. Luckily, the latter part, where these measures are applied, flows much better. What I see missing in this book is more concrete examples beyond the arguably theoretical discussion about real-world application. I also noticed that I was constantly waiting for the author to connect the dots and bind the theories presented in a more or less waterfall context into modern, iterative and incremental processes.
All in all, I find Agile Management for Software Engineering to be a book with a solid message: how to better manage a software business. Considering the state of practice in the industry, I'd say this is a must buy for any manager or executive.
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Title: Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide by Craig Larman ISBN: 0131111558 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.99 |
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Title: Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers by Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck ISBN: 0321150783 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 08 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed by Barry Boehm, Richard Turner ISBN: 0321186125 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
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Title: Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber ISBN: 073561993X Publisher: Microsoft Press Pub. Date: 10 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy by H. William Dettmer ISBN: 0873896033 Publisher: American Society for Quality Pub. Date: July, 2003 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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