Customer Reviews

Software Engineering Handbook

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I was looking for a practical, easy-to-read book that explained the nuts and bolts of developing large systems. Most books on the market are too much into theory and too little into practicality. I found this book and couldn't be more pleased. On top of readable chapters on all facets of analysis and design there is a large section on quality and productivity. On top of that, the appendices contain 19 or so samples of filled in templates such as a sample text plan, a design spec and a requirements spec. It's pricey but worth every penny.

This book is divided into two sections, the first covering basis software engineering topics ranging from discovery and inception tasks, such as performing a cost benefit analysis and requirements management, to managing software maintenance. This section covers the basics, but has no material that would distinguish it from other books on software engineering. The second section, however, is a rich compendium of methods, frameworks and techniques with an emphasis on metrics. This section alone makes this book an invaluable resource for any software engineer.

In Section Two the coverage of mainstream topics such as COCOMO II, McCabe's Cyclomatic Complexity Metric, and Putnam's work is complete and expected. However, this book also includes not frequently seen descriptions of topics and approaches, such as Bellcore's Software Quality Metrics, Hewlett Packard's TQC (Total Quality Control) Guidelines for Software Engineering Productivity, and Sprague's Technique for Software Configuration Management in a Measurement-Based Software Engineering Program. These are but a sampling of the material in this section that provides a virtual encyclopedia of techniques and methods.

The appendices are also valuable resources, providing example artifacts ranging from a system service request form to a function point counting guide. Ironically, function points were not covered in any detail as a standalone topic in the main body of the book. Also included in the appendices are forms and templates.

Overall this is one of the most useful books for the practicing software engineer. The range of topics covered is wide, and there are sure to be techniques that you'll discover for the first time in this book regardless of your experience level.