Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials: Building Successful Technology Solutions [Paperback]

Michael S. V. Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Get the definitive guide to learning the foundational principles, mindsets, and best practices of the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), Version 4. Written by a solutions delivery expert, this hands-on guide offers practical examples and case studies to help you apply this adaptable, scalable framework to any project and effectively implement business-driven technology solutions.

Discover how to:

• Establish an adaptable and flexible solution delivery life cycle
• Incrementally define, design, build, stabilize and deploy solutions that address business needs
• Implement a dynamic team model that promotes team agility
• Manage solution delivery readiness at the individual, project team, and organizational level
• Proactively minimize project risks
• Meet release criteria and validate stakeholder expectations and user needs
• Use governance activities and checkpoints at each stage of your project

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Key Book Benefits:

- Delivers best practice guidance and practical lessons for using MSF - Provides coverage of both software engineering methodologies supported by Visual Studio Team System: MSF for Agile Software Development and MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement - Written by an expert with extensive experience consulting with enterprises and training others to use MSF

About the Author

Michael S. V. Turner, DSc, PMP, has more than 18 years of engineering experience and is a senior manager with Microsoft Services headquarters where he helps develop tools, processes, and methodologies for solutions delivery. In addition, Mike is the founder of North Star Analytics, a company that builds artificial intelligence-based software based on his doctoral research.

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735623538
• ISBN-13: 978-0735623538
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many good ideas on the SDLC, May 25, 2007

By 

Eric Kassan (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials: Building Successful Technology Solutions (Paperback)

This book explores version 4 of Microsoft's Solutions Framework, the high-level guidelines Microsoft follows for their software development lifecycle. MSF, and hence this book, is rather abstract. Therefore, it won't tell you step by step what you should do. But hopefully you are aware that there is no such thing as perfect SDLC process- each situation demands finding the best solution for the specific context involved.

This book has some great points - from the foundational principles such as "foster open communications" and "partner with customers" to the way project "phases" are renamed "tracks" to emphasize their overlap. And therein lies the strength of this book - it forces the reader to consider just about everything that should be considered from inception through delivery of a software project.

In terms of drawbacks, the biggest one is that the book focuses virtually exclusively on huge teams in huge projects. The paragraph or two talking about combining advocacies is entirely insufficient. Even when one person handles most of a project, all the aspects need to be considered and covered. One drawback the book avoided was focusing on Microsoft and/or Microsoft technologies. Aside from a couple of minor plugs for specific product, this book is technology and product agnostic.

Overall, this book is well-written and useful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Microsoft Publication, March 20, 2009

By 

Salvador Alanis Anguiano (Michoacan, México) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials: Building Successful Technology Solutions (Paperback)

This is one of the best books I've ever read of Microsoft Solutions Frameworks, it explains with real user cases in order to apply them to real life, It's a nice guiadance to begin using this methodology.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, August 18, 2008

By 

D. German (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Solutions Framework Essentials: Building Successful Technology Solutions (Paperback)

I purchased this book to help me on my job. It was in good condition and served its purpose.