Customer Reviews

Leading a Software Development Team: A developer's guide to successfully leading people & projects

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"Leading a Software Development Team" is a great introduction to project management, especially for a software developer who is suddenly thrown into the driver's seat. I really liked how this book was organized into problem areas, each cross-referencing related problem sections. Think "design patterns for software managers." Software developers are quirky people and thus quirky employees. This book understands how they work and their motivations.

I felt the brief chapters on UML and object-oriented design patterns were unnecessary and a little out of place. There are plenty of other books on UML and design patterns. Not all of the information in this book is brand new, but it is well organized and lucidly written. This book is a great companion to Steve McConnell's far-less-approachable "Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules."

While the programmer in me has often railed at the managers of software development, generally with very good reason, but admittedly sometimes for reasons that were less than pure, I do readily admit that it is a very difficult job. Humans tend to have distinct sets of skills, some of which seem to have a fundamental incompatibility. Writers of good software seem to be predisposed to having limited social and managerial skills and in general one needs to be able to understand a great deal about software in order to be able to manage its' creation. Programmers are also known as being "somewhat difficult" to organize, so even the best managers can be challenged by what is oftentimes an unruly bunch of developers.
However, difficult does not mean impossible, I have yet to meet a quality programmer who did not have a "weakness", that properly exploited, will cause them to work intensely and log an enormous amount of keyboard time. Teams are built in many ways, and Whitehead quite properly notes that many (most) successful teams are made of people who respect and rely on each other's skills, but may not personally like each other. Some of the most successful sports teams of all times were made up of players who did not speak to each other outside the bounds of play. Arguing and bickering, as long as it is within clearly defined boundaries, should be considered normal and tolerated. Attempts to dictate that people like each other and engage in silly "teambuilding" exercises more often lead to failure rather than success. Other examples in the book show the same good sense, as Whitehead clearly has experience in making projects work.
The book is split into sections, which are

* The new leader.
* Project management.
* Leading people.
* Requirements capture.
* Stress and conflict management.
* Relationship with management.
* Making decisions.
* Analysis and design.
* Testing and project release.

Under these sections, there are a total of 40 different points, with a header and explanation of some of the rights, wrongs and different shades of gray inherent in the points. While forty is not large enough to cover all possible contingencies, I cannot find a reason to criticize those that were chosen.
Writing good software is hard, and managing hard people is difficult. However, from this book you can find some very sound advice that will improve your chances of managing a project to a successful conclusion.

I bought this because I am starting to lead a software team, without any training, I just find myself in charge of 3 people. This book helped me see where I'm getting it right and where there are things I can do better. It's quite short and I read about 3 chapters each day on the train in about 15 minutes. I would have liked a little more about recruitement and also about making presentations because these are things I need immediate help with, what's in the book is OK but I would have liked more e.g. list of questions for interviewees. Overall well worth the money.

I bought this book in the middle of a project where we face lots of problems. We come accross about 90% of the problems that are describe in this book. How I wish I could have read this before involving in leading a project. The recommendation and advice are very practical. It took me a few trials to get to the solution by myself before this. Now I can just refer to this book whenever I have problem in handling project issues and save me lots of unnecessary trials. I highly recommend this for new project leaders.

After reading this book, I would say for sure that Richard Whitehead understands the role of the project lead. I would buy this book for a new, or existing lead, if I wanted him to understand the challenges he might face. I really applaud this and would add that many books feel like they were written from the outside looking in (sure, everyone on the outside wants twice the functionality in half the time!). I would love to see an update that included more strategies for success however. A lot of the solutions seemed to be based on a specific set of circumstances and personalities. Perhaps adding some examples from others who faced similar challenges, and overcame them with different methods, would increase the impact of this book.

Whitehead covers alot of the basics of team management. It shouldn't be difficult, and that what Whitehead explains through "questioned" title chapters. It works quite well because you can zero in on the question about leadership in your situation that may be plaguing your mind. The book is short and easy to read, so it can be read in about 3 days on a bus.

The author subscribes to making you aware of the qualities of good managers and how to handle common types of problems, like what to do when you don't have the technical knowledge about a problem, or how to handle difficult/disruptive team members. In summary, Whitehead helps you get into thinking like a ternary leader, that is you are part of a group, all working towards a common goal and you, (the teamleader/manager), should not dictate your "will and whim" to others.

The only criticism is that it is probably too light on the aspect of project management. There are issues about project management of people in terms of requirements, risk, scheduling that are not discussed. This book is about working with your colleagues not clients.... but overall a good read at a good price.

This is one of the best books I have ever read on software development period. There are too many books on software development dealing with a specific technology that, after several months, become useless (or nearly so). There are surprizingly few books dealing with less ephemeral topics on software development. Books such as Peopleware, Death March, etc. are different than most software development books in that they take up topics that are more or less unchanging. There are certain tools and techniques that apply to how you lead a software team that are true regardless of whether you are using C# or C, developing a web app or embedded software, etc. This book does an outstanding job of capturing these kinds of truths and it does so in a highly pragmatic way offering a treasure of truly excellent actionable advice.

I rank this book up there with Peopleware, Death March and Code Complete. A really great classic on software development!

Developers should read this, especially seniors and this aspiring to management, in order to understand their current projects, help their leads and prepare for management.

Existing team leaders should read this and ensure that they are doing exactly what the book says.

Project managers should read this, to understand the development process better, as should upper management.

The distilled wisdom of many projects tinged with common sense and clearly presented - I am going to buy every book the author has ever written.

Must read!

Good practical advice! Nothing that you don't know or haven't heard before. But coming from another technical person this reassured me that my problems are not mine alone. Good read for a new Development Manager.

I have purchased this book for myself and, years after, for gift to another people.

Very good book, clear and useful.