Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
33 used & new from $35.73

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results (Coad Series)
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results (Coad Series) (Paperback)

by David J. Anderson (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

List Price: $64.99
Price: $52.29 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $12.70 (20%)
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Friday, July 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
21 new from $35.73 12 used from $36.95

Frequently Bought Together

Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results (Coad Series) + Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed + Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)
Price For All Three: $132.79

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)

Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)

by Mike Cohn
4.7 out of 5 stars (49)  $44.51
Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

by Mary Poppendieck
4.4 out of 5 stars (17)  $40.86
Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional)

Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional)

by Ken Schwaber
4.4 out of 5 stars (45)  $34.88
Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions (Addison-Wesley Signature Series)

by Luke Hohmann
4.6 out of 5 stars (27)  $44.40
Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit (Agile Software Development Series)

Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit (Agile Software Development Series)

by Mary Poppendieck
4.5 out of 5 stars (39)  $44.99
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book is certainly about software development management, but it is also a book about business. Managers can no longer afford to discuss these two topics independently. This book is meant to eliminate the seat-of-the-pants intuition and rough approximations that have been far too prevalent in software development management. The growing popularity of agile methods has shown that a healthy balance between strict process and individual flexibility can be achieved. David Anderson takes it a step farther, and explains how the healthy balance of agility can help businesses become more profitable. The result is a book that will allow managers to foster teams that produce better software, less expensively, on time, and with fewer defects.

From the Back Cover

"This book does a good job of describing the methods employed at Sprintpcs.com ... over 250 people practicing Feature Driven Development and reporting their progress to me at the monthly operations review."
--Scott B. Relf, Chief Marketing Officer, Sprint PCS

"A tremendous contribution to the literature in the field. This should be required reading for all development teams going forward."
--John F. Yuzdepski, VP & GM, Openwave Systems

A breakthrough approach to managing agile software developmentAgile methods might just be the alternative to outsourcing. However, agile development must scale in scope and discipline to be acceptable in the boardrooms of the Fortune 1000. In Agile Management for Software Engineering, David J. Anderson shows managers how to apply management science to gain the full business benefits of agility through application of the focused approach taught by Eli Goldratt in his Theory of Constraints.

Whether you're using XP, Scrum, FDD, or another agile approach, you'll learn how to develop management discipline for all phases of the engineering process, implement realistic financial and production metrics, and focus on building software that delivers maximum customer value and outstanding business results.Coverage includes:

  • Making the business case for agile methods: practical tools and disciplines
  • How to choose an agile method for your next project
  • Breakthrough application of Critical Chain Project Management and constraint-driven control of the flow of value
  • Defines the four new roles for the agile manager in software projects-- and competitive IT organizations

Whether you're a development manager, project manager, team leader, or senior IT executive, this book will help you achieve all four of your most urgent challenges: lower cost, faster delivery, improved quality, and focused alignment with the business.



See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (September 27, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0131424602
  • ISBN-13: 978-0131424609
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #405,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #16 in  Books > Computers & Internet > Project Management > Agile

Look Inside This Book

Citations (learn more)
1 book cites this book:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results (Coad Series)
81% buy the item featured on this page:
Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results (Coad Series) 4.3 out of 5 stars (14)
$52.29
Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed
6% buy
Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed 4.2 out of 5 stars (14)
$35.99
Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide (Agile Software Development Series)
5% buy
Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide (Agile Software Development Series) 4.5 out of 5 stars (48)
$43.12
The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility (Agile Software Development Series)
4% buy
The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility (Agile Software Development Series) 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
$35.99

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars IF..., September 26, 2004
By Earl Beede (Maltby, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Abraham Lincoln once asked something like, "If you call a tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have?" The answer is four. "Just because you call a tail a leg doesn't make it so." Just because you want to call some development practice "Agile" doesn't make it so. In this book, David Anderson makes a case for calling Theory of Constraints the underlying definition of Agile software development practices. The principle tie is that a key measure in the Theory of Constraints is called Throughput; the amount of value delivered to the customer. Agile methods pride themselves as delivering value to the customer quickly. Based on the Theory of Constraints definition, the Feature Driven Development (FDD) method, Anderson's personal expertise, turns out to be the most Agile of all.
In making the case for the Theory of Constraints based approach, Anderson has given us a lot of formulas and metrics for looking at software projects. This is the most thorough treatment of the subject I have seen yet. I wasn't fully satisfied with the metrics as I felt the book didn't deal with the biggest problem in metrics, the problem of characterizing the measure. To do good metrics, you have to be very clear on what you are measuring, the characterization problem. Without that, all the formulas, graphs, and trends are pretty much useless. Most of the book dealt with the problem by saying, "If you could measure `X', then..." I got really tired of all the Ifs in the book.
In fact, I am not sure I should like this book or not. I found myself half of the time saying to myself, "Hmm, that is a interesting idea," and the other half saying, "I don't think so." Perhaps it was all the Ifs, perhaps it was the repetition. I am glad to say at the end of the book Anderson does appear to have the intelligence to note that one size does not fit all and does a nice job of suggesting where the best choices in software development approaches might be.
So, who should read this book? Well, if you like Donald Reinertsen's and Eliyahu Goldratt's work and live in the software world, this book is for you. If you have to teach Agile seminars to software professionals (like me), then this should be on your reading list as well. If you are general software project manager or developer who is looking to improve the way you do software development, then I would probably pass on this book. Not that the ideas are all wrong but you probably will get lost along the way. If...
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Science of Agile, October 2, 2003
Agile methods are all the rage these days, and with good reason: they work. Unfortunately, current practice is largely a hodgepodge of rules of thumb rather than a consistent theory derivable from basic, verifiable assumptions.

That's where David Anderson's book comes into play. David explores the foundations from which most of the Agile concepts can be derived. While most of the concepts are borrowed from manufacturing, David does an excellent job of explaining how they relate to software. The book is very well written, the graphics are excellent, and the concepts are ones that anyone involved with software will need to master if they want to stay competitive.

Excellent work, david.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative and profound, October 21, 2003
By slashcart (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Text for the Subject
This text book treats the subject of agile software management well. The examples and explanations are quite comprehensive.
Published 9 months ago by P. Dave

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple and easy to apply
My professor required this book for my software project planning course. Being from a science background, I've never been very interested in business-related subject matter... Read more
Published 12 months ago by John McCune

5.0 out of 5 stars Metrics for agile software development
The text gives a good explantion of agile practices and theory. It looks closely at three agile development methods : Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), and Feature Driven... Read more
Published on August 22, 2004 by William McMichael

4.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Link
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. Read more
Published on May 14, 2004 by Damian

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid message but lacking in examples
Agile Management for Software Engineering is targeted for managers and executives working in the software industry. Read more
Published on February 13, 2004 by Lasse Koskela

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing the Point of View
I found this book highly informative and relevant.

As an agile advocate, this additional perspective is what I have been looking for. Read more

Published on January 30, 2004 by Miroslav Novak

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice theoretical grounding, but plodding and poorly edited
The accounting-based framework for assessing the value contributions of a team seem like an effective way of measuring Agile products and whether or not they're good for the... Read more
Published on December 21, 2003 by Lars Bergstrom

5.0 out of 5 stars The more I dig the more WOW it pops up
I cannot stress enough how wonderful this book is. The more I dig the more WOW it pops up. The concepts might be unfamiliar and hard, but well written makes it easy to read. Read more
Published on December 11, 2003 by Peter Ho

5.0 out of 5 stars A Management Book that Developers Should Read Too
This book is essential reading for IT managers, but senior developers should read it too. While some things in this book will make engineers say "I know that, but just... Read more
Published on December 3, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
David did a wonderful job in explaining how to apply agile techinques for business profits. It is a must read not only for team leads and management team but also for individual... Read more
Published on November 24, 2003 by ssrd2003

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)



Look for Similar Items by Category


Sephora: Free Shipping

Sephora Brand Color Play Palette
Get free shipping on Sephora orders of $50 or more. Shop What's New, Sephora Exclusives, and Bare Escentuals Exclusives right here. Plus, shop Sephora's 75% off Sale and get free shipping on all Bare Escentuals starter kits for a limited time only.

Shop Sephora now

 

Best Books of 2008

Best of 2008
Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.
 

Let the Gutters Flow

Shop for Gutter Cleaners
Keep gutters and downspouts clear of debris to avoid water damage and overspills.

Shop gutter tools and equipment

 

Best Books

Best of the Month
See our editors' picks and more of the best new books on our Best of the Month page.
 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
Free
Free by Chris Anderson
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates