economics-software

Solid information which not covers the basic development lifecycle and it's components but also the bigger picture e.g. predictive analyses, reflective metrics, customer satisfaction measurement, etc. A good read, informative and it won't scare a novice. Recommended.

I bought this book because it covers Quality Models as well. That was very helpful for me to understand Quality Modeling.

This is the best software engingeering metrics book.
It is great for beginners or experts. It is also very
readable.

I read this book after reading MDA Explained by Anneke Kleppe and found it wandering into many areas but not deep enough in any one of them. While this book is a decent attempt to bring forth the impact of MDA in enterprise computing, a reader looking to understand "what" MDA is and "how it" works would be thoroughly disappointed. MDA Explained is a far more useful (and thinner) book that is not only more readable but also lucid in explanation.

First off, if this book deserves 5 stars just as a recognition of the depth of the accomplishment (given the breadth of the undertaking) in getting it written, and written extremely well. In an industry where the most successful authors are hacks that put out paper thin salvos to ride whatever the new gauche rave is, this book represents the far opposite end of the spectrum. Clearly, the long history of CASE and modeling and code generation is well in hand as the author pushes through a detailed elaboration of where MDA stands and where it's going. And the news is balanced and delivered honestly, this is not a call to Kool Aid coming from a deluded cult leader. There are open issues, but the general direction of MDA is so overdue and important it's silly. [For a good means of achieving parallax on this issue, consider looking at Cheeseman and Daniels' excellent UML Components, which makes a strong argument for a level of indirection between logical and physical models. If MDA delivers no more than that in the short term, it will still be a huge contribution.]

The reversibility of those models and the degree to which synchronization and editing can be simultaneously supported is perhaps the key issue that remains. Unfortunately, it is something of a deep bind because there is no doubt that the dream of complete reversibility of code and model, which has been hyped a lot over the past 5 years, is a shallow dream (reducing the 'model' to a mere visualization), and yet the idea of not being able to touch what was generated has a similarly stultifying unappeal to it.

As the development world is becoming more polarized between those who would model solutions and the band of hackers who claim to be able to do anything with a scripting language and a database, MDA is a key focal point for the former that is long overdue. Way too much attention has been spent developing tools that make it easy to lay out user interfaces while very few places have achieved even a basic ability to keep a serious domain logical model in tact through a single version, let alone a number of generations. Hopefully the tremendous consensus that has crystallized around MDA is an indication that that balance will soon start to change.

I have had the pleasure of working with David Frankel for a number of years on Object Management Group efforts, so I expected a lot from this book. I wasn't disappointed.

Dave has written a clear, pragmatic guide to what MDA is and, more importantly, what really can (and cannot) be practically accomplished with MDA today. He unerringly focuses on the highest payoff areas for most projects, such as the generation of code from data models. He also brings his years of experience in developing enterprise systems to bear, clearly describing the specific issues involved in applying MDA in this difficult area.

The book gives a thorough presentation of the concepts behind MDA -- including the clearest discussion I have seen anywhere of OMG's Meta Object Facility, a perennial topic of confusion. Nevertheless, I don't really consider this a book on "MDA" as such. It is, indeed, a book on APPLYING MDA, as the title states.

If you are looking for a more theoretical presentation or a grand vision of how MDA will work someday, you may be disappointed. But if you are looking for techniques you can start applying the week after you finish the book, this is the book you want to be finishing.

I am currently Chief Architect at a company that is in the process of making the cultural and technical shift to model-driven development. I found this book so relevant to where we are and the next steps we need to take toward MDA, that I had the company buy copies for all our architects, plus a few extras to circulate among the developers. I even had my boss (the company president) read Part One, which provided just the right level of overview for him (plus Michael Guttman's forward, which is a fun read in itself).

If you are in a similar situation where you work, I couldn't suggest a better book as a helpful change agent. And if you simply want to know how to start applying MDA techniques for enterprise development, this is where to find out.

A must have for those just starting and recommended for all. Bit outdated with references and tech stuff but career planning advice and practical considerations are, well, priceless.

Love the attitude that comes across - SAP is good money and fun to boot. Excellent material from both a career-planning and across-the-desk-from-you HR perspective. I think all SAP folks should have a copy, plus wannabes. I suggest you check out George Anderson's book SAP Best Practices in Implementation too, as it is a bit more up to date technology-wise and covers staffing quite well, in a similarly realistic manner. Some of the older SAP implementation books aren't too bad either, though the slant is usually exclusively consultant-focused rather than presenting both sides. I picked up my copy used, great bargain. Get one for the whole SAP team, internal IT and consultatnts alike.

This is an excellent book for people of IT profession. It discusses in depth different options and the pros and cons of each option. Although the book was written specifically for SAP professionals who can get the most out of the book, the concepts in the book are almost readily applicable to other IT fields.

This is one of the very few IT carreer books that provide practical advices in an easy-to-read style.

If you are planning to manage to build your small business web site with the help of your own staff, this may be the first book for the introduction to the subject. It may be the last if you decide not to get involved. There are lots of pictures, drawings, tables, windows in this book and very brief information is written down, definitely a visual book. There are base data given for the time to be allocated, costs involved and the description of core personnel for the in-house web building team. Team building and decision-making strategies are examined briefly. Major web building and graphics programs are compared. There is also a training program proposed for a green in-house web building team. An introductory web site plan and its implementation process is briefly explained. Some 30 odd pages are also spared for an in-house mock web project scenario that adds nothing to the content of the book but repetitions with half-empty pages. You may just skim through this book in order to have some vague idea about your in-house web site building project for your company. If you decide to proceed with the idea, you definitely need to look for other competent sources that cover this subject.

Finally, an HTML workbook that is clear, fun and eminently useful for people who not only want to learn the code, but to understand WHY the tag creates the look. After working with HTML editors and page creating programs, and becoming very frustrated because these programs don't always do what I want, I thought it would be fun to try to create a web site that looks sophisticated and learn the language at the same time. Well, I did it following the step-by-step instructions of this wonderful book. Each section has a minimum of text, clear examples, short exercises and quiz questions to reassure you that you actually know what you're doing, and it's all so simple! Anyone with interest and a little patience can easily create a well-designed web site with tables, graphics, and even forms. Useful additional files are freely available on the Visibooks web site. I recommend this book to the novice as well as the more experienced web page designer-to anyone interested in mastering the basics of HTML while understanding what they're doing!

I found this book a great resource for communicating with clients that have no clue about IT development as well as a refresher in the right way to plan and execute website developmnet that is often rushed and overlooked.

It is a good reminder of how to alter one's language when working with non-technical clients as well as explain what to expect. It gives an easy to understand overview of the steps in the process to create a website so that everyone is on the same page (no pun intended).

It is well worth having in one's library!

I don't understand the good reviews this book got. I was excited about this book and thought I scored a hit when I found it at my library. What a dud! If you are going to start an e-business, you need to find a place to host your site. NOT COVERED! You should expect a book this expensive to point out what to look for in a hosting site, tip you off to bad deals on hosting, expectations on pricing, pricing structures, etc. How on earth can you set up a site without this information? Will you have physical access to your server (should you)? or will you simply upload from a distance? What about hackers? Do you protect the site or do they protect. Is it possible to go it alone (i.e. host the site at your business with a T1 line)? What's involved with going it alone? How do you get a T1 line to your business? None of these things are covered. And the biggie most people want--Credit Card transactions. Not much here either. Cursory information you can glean off the web. There's some information on what happens to the data during a credit card transaction (reads like a TIME-LIFE book), but again, no information on how to choose a Merchant provider, or what to look for in such providers. CyberCash and a few big name players are listed with their web addresses, but you can get this info on the web yourself. Just try, as a startup, to sign on with cybercash. The fees will be outrageous. No ratios as to cost/cc transactions in line with your business is discussed, just dry reporting on how others do it. You come away saying to yourself, ok so that's what's going on (in a very general way), but there's nothing to tell you how to do it yourself. No guides whatsoever. No example business plan, nothing. There are some nice chapters on XML, DynamicHTML, ASP etc., but you can get this in more depth in other books and still pay less than this book. There are some really stupid things in here too. Like a history of computers? What the ... is this doing in here? An introduction to Internet Explorer? If you need an introduction to IE, you shouldn't be thinking about e-commerce yet. Marketing info and business info is provided to the level that you'd understand what people were talking about if you joined a firm that needed to do this. But you would not be in any position to actually do marketing, or e-business. If you read this book cover to cover you will come away with a lot of information, but still be unable to do e-business, e-commerce, or even run a busy website. Boy am I glad I didn't buy this book.

I am starting some web programming after about 5 years of system level software development. I find the text, especially the programming related chapters to be comprehensive and well explained for beginners. Obviously, individuals taking up web development professionally will have to refer to more literature concerning their tools and technologies but this is a good startup text. Some rearrangement of sections may be helpful to the readers, for instance, in JavaScript chapters the concept of variables is explained early but a discussion on data types is delayed considerably forcing the readers to make assumptions.

Hi. I currently own the 'e-Business & e-Commerce How-to-Program' book by the authors. If anyone out there currently owns the XML book by Dietel & Associates, and is interested in making a trade, please send me an email. The trade can be either permanent, or just a temporary swap. Which ever you prefer.

GenerationExcel@aol.com

The quote is from Mystery Science Theater 3000, and is used to identify a movie scene so repetitious that it seems like torture. But it could also apply to this book. I've lost count of how many times Highsmith has padded his text with rock climbing metaphors. It's annoying and distracting and it adds only fluff. I've developed the practice of skipping the paragraph whenever Highsmith starts another inane mountaineering passage.

There is some meat in this book, but you've got to nibble around a whole lot of loess to get it.

"Adaptive Software Development" is a light, human-powered methodology for development of complex software systems. Unlike Extreme Programming, Adaptive Software Development is less disciplined and does not mandate individual techniques like On-Site Customer, Pair Programming or Automated Tests. It rather encourages adaptation, which depends on leadership and collaboration.

One of the vital components of Adaptive Software Development is clearly articulated Project Mission, Shared Vision and Clear Focus, and it is the responsibility of the whole team to create the mission and use it on a day-to-day basis as an alignment tool to keep the common direction.

I would also highly recommend "Agile Software Development" by Alistair Cockburn in addition to this book.

Compelling case for Adaptive Software Development (ASD), an approach enabling successful completion of complex software development projects. Draws on the theory of complex adaptive systems (CAS). Explains using judicious analogies with mountain climbing. Assembles ideas from the author's own extensive experience and readings. Describes in some detail the ideas of other authors that have influenced ASD. Excellent annotated bibliography allows the reader to pursue further study in any of a number of different directions.

It's hard to express just how good this book is. I can't recommend it highly enough. If you're interested in the currents of thought on software development variously labeled "extreme" or "agile," then I believe you will find Adaptive Software Development to be very near to their sources.

The author distinguishes a "complex" project from one that is merely "complicated." As one might well imagine, he would classify a project to develop the avionics software for the NASA space shuttle as complicated--but not complex: its goal is well defined and attainable by applying the stable laws of Newtonian physics. Development of an internet-based product for the consumer marketplace on the other hand is complex because one might expect almost anything to change during the course of such a project: target technology, competitive offerings, financing, marketing strategy, etc.

Complexity arises from moving fast in a continually changing environment.

Adaptive Software Development comprises
(1) Adaptive Conceptual Model--the theoretical foundation,
(2) Adaptive Development Model--a software development lifecycle for complex projects, and
(3) Adaptive Management Model--principles for managing complex projects.

(1) The Adaptive Conceptual Model proposes that a software development organization is a complex adaptive system like a marketplace or a flock of birds. According to the theory, CASs composed of independent agents acting for themselves without centralized control can under proper circumstances develop "emergent" capabilities exceeding the mere sum of the capabilities of the individual agents.

It is further proposed that only emergent capabilities are powerful enough to tame complexity. Software development organizations aspiring to do so must create the proper circumstances for the emergence of superior capabilities. The Development Model and the Management Model show the way.

(2) The Adaptive Development Model has three phases: Speculate, Collaborate, Learn. A typical project is expected to cycle through the phases several times. The output of each successive cycle converges on the final product of the project.

The beginning of each cycle is called "speculation" in preference to "planning" to reject the command-and-control philosophy that stifles emergence. ASD establishes a general direction, hypothesizes a product with a set of components, then puts the developers to work. Tasks are not specified in the ASD project plan--only the components to be completed by the end of the cycle.

Collaboration is the phase where development occurs. Under conditions of "diversity, rich relationships, unfettered information flow, and good leadership (p. 45)" collaboration can be the crucible of emergent capability. To foster this emergence, the project leader must keep the team "poised at the edge of chaos," imposing just enough rigor on the collaboration to keep it from spinning out of control. To impose any more rigor would stifle emergence. Borrowing from Ralph Stacey, Mr. Highsmith cites five dimensions for measuring how closely a project team approaches chaos. The goal is to structure collaboration so that it has just enough--but never too much--of each of the following:

1. Information Flow
2. Diversity
3. Rich Connectivity
4. Contained Anxiety
5. Power Differential.

Mr. Highsmith observes that adaptation, not optimization, is the key to success in a complex ecosystem. Software developers adapt by learning. ASD ends every cycle with specific collaborative learning activities including customer focus groups, technical reviews, post-mortems, etc. The adaptations resulting from the learning phase keep the output of subsequent cycles converging on a successful product.

(3) ASD gives to the project leader responsibility for establishing the conditions under which superior capabilities emerge from the collaboration of team members. This responsibility entails "the ability to help teams to understand the project's mission, to stand back and let the group struggle with mistakes, to encourage learning, to balance the need for flexibility and rigor, and to force decisions onto the group (pp. 209-210)."

To balance successfully between flexibility and rigor--poised at the edge of chaos--managers of complex projects must attend primarily to two structural elements: workstate and network.

ASD manages workSTATE in preference to workFLOW. Instead of monitoring the completion of tasks, the project leader tracks the completion of components. Tasks are not necessarily prescribed. Team members decide for themselves how to build the components. To scale up to large projects, workstate management defines explicit milestones for each component describing its degree of completion. Progress is tracked against these milestones.

The emergence of superior capability through collaboration depends on the communication network of the collaborators. For smaller, collocated teams with sufficient interpersonal skills, it will emerge informally. For larger teams, ASD prescribes a conscious effort to build it and to maintain it. The remote nodes of a virtual team are all too likely to fall into a state of insufficient interaction.

The collaboration network should provide team members just a little more information than they need, stopping just short of overload. Information clutter must be avoided. Content must not be provided without context (author, revision date, approval status, for example). The formal properties of the collaboration network must be identified and tuned to the needs of the complex project. A "collaboration service layer" of tools (mostly web-based) and practices must be installed. A new role, collaboration facilitator, extending the role of JAD facilitator, should be created to tend the collaboration network.

Is a software development organization really a complex adaptive system? No matter. Mr. Highsmith has ably used the theory of complex adaptive systems as a powerful metaphor for unifying many existing ideas about managing complex software development and for generating new ones--with at least as much validity as older theories have been applied in the past. Stimulating and refreshing. A must-read by any standard.

I found the book to be a bit disappointing. I had difficulties applying some of the examples to my own questions. It was not very well edited, and I felt it was overpriced, considering that it was on the thin side and looked kind of home-made. I learn software programs quickly and have taught courses on Lotus 123 and other programs, so I don't think I have a learning problem. I will definitely have to get another book on using QuickBooks from an accounting perspective.

I walked into my new company to play a new role. New, for me anyway. After college, and over a quarter century in corporate america....I looked and thought I found....a less stressful work experience to relax into. I had no idea that working for a small business would require me to wear so many hats.

My first challenge was to tackle the books. They hadn't been touched for four months (and before that...well, you've heard the expression "too many cooks in the kitchen").

Taking Gregg's overview class and relying on this textbook afterward have made all the difference between chaos and discipline. Thanks for the practical, cut-to-the-chase style of guidance provided in your take-home book.

In starting our new business, the book "Using Quickbooks and Quickbooks Pro" has really helped our consulting firm to set up our corporate books. It has really simplified the process. Thanks for this necessary guide, which all business owners should have for a reference.

David Stauffer gives out some reasons why Cisco is so successful in the Internet industry. Among all the factors, I think ...people¡¦ is the most important one. It is because they can generate creative ideas for the company and so they are valuable asset. The term ...internet ecosystem¡¦ and last minute management¡¦ are important terms as well.

The author, David Stauffer, illustrate a clear picture of Cisco's business and management to readers.

Stauffer refreshes our view of today's business world. Stepping into internet age, IT should become an important issue for every business. "Internet Ecosystem", created by John Chamber, helps Cisco to be an sucessful international organization. By this internet ecosystem, Cisco forms a diversified and close relationship with it's suppliers/customers/partners, etc. leads to "last minute management", which is widely adopted by most business.

Apart from IT, Cisco treats innovative employees as their valuable assets. Cisco creates a superior working environment for them to enhance their performance/team work spirit/self-esteem, etc. Cisco makes many acquisitions for new technologies, but more specific, they acquire people for knowledge/creativity, say for the next generation products.

This book would help you to know more about the fast changing business world. Be well-prepared, are you ready?

The author, David Stauffer illustrate a clear picture of CISCO, the world's leader in internet business, help readers to understand the internet giant's success foctors. To be a leader in the competitive internet business, an organization not only have to be innovative and creative but also ahve to do well in marketing strategy, internal management and external management. Cisco treats their employees as valuable assets. Cisco is well known in acquisition, but what they want from that is not only new technologies, people too, who can bring continuous improvement/ innovative ideas, say the next generation products to the organization. And thats a critical suceess factor for Cisco. Apart from that, Cisco is famous of its "last minute management". They form an "inernet ecosystem" with its customer, suppliers, retailers and so on. This help to them to decrease the inventory level, cost of storage, and so on. This wise management way is popularly adopted by most business firms around the world.

From this book, you will get more insight of how the business world is going, and be well-prepared yourself in this internet age.

1. This book has many grammatical mistakes.

2. The same simple idea is usually repeated throught a chapter. The book actually could have been 1/3 thinner. Too much reading to unravel too few useful ideas.

3. "Quit the job" is often cited as an effective way to deal with death march projects

4. The last few chapters are simply out of touch with reality - using tools for complex modeling and analyzing the the "soft" factors (skill acquisition, morale, etc.) of software process and introducing common sense in finding the dysfuctions in an organization that unlikely to be changed. In my opinion, All these actually constitute the "art" of project management and are too simplistic to be subjected to these kind of logical analysis.

This book is worth it for the chapter on Critical Chain alone.

Edward Yourdon begins with a definition of a "death march" as any project where the schedule has been arbitrarily compressed by half, the budget has been reduced by 50% or more, the requirements of the project are more than 50% of what can be reasonably expected, or for whatever reason, the risk of project failure is greater than 50%. Given the likelihood of a permanently high-pressure, intensely competitive business environment, death-march projects will remain the norm in the IT industry, and they will continue to appear practically everywhere in business in the future.

The first edition of Death March was for me, as most in the IT industry, gratifying for its dead-on assessment of the realities of IT projects in today's economy. The title is unforgettable, sadly accurate, and particularly resonant in today's increasingly frenetic business environment. The original edition was primarily a diagnosis of the zeitgeist of the IT industry, yet it didn't propose enough solutions for the unfortunates caught in death-march projects. The new, somewhat longer second edition, offers practical solutions for dealing with death marches and the major concerns of potential readers, i.e., what can I do tomorrow? The second edition includes advice on negotiation and estimation, as well as techniques for time management and controlling interruptions.

This is a short and disturbing book-usefully short, because if you really need to read the book, you probably don't have time to read it. But for anyone involved with project or technical management, it is a must-read. And it's not a bad idea for the marketing and sales people who sometime spawn death marches to give it a look, too. With the second edition, Mr. Yourdon has created an enduring work for the IT industry and the general business reader as well, a new classic that I keep on the shelf next to Peopleware and The Mythical Man-Month.

I'll keep this book, but think the author need to update it pretty soon. Very nice detail before and after installation, not like lot of books on the market for Sharepoint. Things are changing, but still worth getting for me at least.

I've been handed a Sharepoint project and picked up this wonderful and another older book. Between the two, I feel good about setting up and deploying SPS for piloting, though this book is more applicable to what I believe will be my challenges. And I'm thinking that the example chapters will be worth their weight in maybe not gold but at least floppies or PC cards.

I've read through a couple SPS books out there today, returned one, and only consider this one "keepable". It covers eveything I do as a Knowledge Consultant - design/architecture, deploying/setting up, training my users, managing changes, and so on. I can tell that the author has been through all of this many times over. Great job! I only wish a CD was included so I could easily search through the chapters.