Book Description
Apply the principles of Scrum, one of the most popular agile programming methods, to software project management#151;and focus your team on delivering real business value. Author Ken Schwaber, a leader in the agile process movement and a co-creator of Scrum, brings his vast expertise to helping you guide the product and software development process more effectively and efficiently. Help eliminate the ambiguity into which so many software projects are borne, where vision and planning documents are essentially thrown over the wall to developers. This high-level reference describes how to use Scrum to manage complex technology projects in detail, combining expert insights with examples and case studies based on Scrum. Emphasizing practice over theory, this book explores every aspect of using Scrum, focusing on driving projects for maximum return on investment.
Customer Reviews:
Simple introduction to Scurm........2007-08-01
This book provides a simple introduction to Scrum. Author briefly explains basic Scrum concepts based on real life case studies. However this book is not sufficient to start practicing Scrum in real projects. You will need at least a Scrum Master training course in order to fully understand Scrum techniques.
Coming from PMI PMP background I have noticed that the author does not understand the foundations of "traditional project management". For example on page 88 he draws a Network Diagram and refers to it as to Gantt chart... He also very often mentions PERT charts as one of his painful memories from waterfall projects.
Being such an expert in software project management Ken should know that there is no PERT chart, just the PERT technique (for estimating the duration of a task). PERT chart is a name of Network Diagram, wrongly introduced by Microsoft Project. It really strikes me how many people confuse MS Project with project management.
All in all, this book is worth reading if you need a brief introduction to Scrum.
SCRUM time!.......2007-07-03
This book did an amazing job of entertaining me and pumping me up to know more about scrum. Unfortunately, i haven't been able to practice any of this stuff at work becauase i'm not the project manager. I can't wait to learn more about scrum so i bought ken's other book "Agile software development using scrum" and am reading it now. It's much of the same material just more in depth and i'm loving it as well.
5 stars for the book! i'll let you all know how the methodology is after i find out!
From Product backlog to sprint review, you see how scrum is implemented and how each Chicken plays their role to it's fullest in this book!
Learn by example.......2007-06-25
This is a great book on Scrum. In a light, enjoyable series of anecdotes about real-world projects, it succeeds in communicating the deeper principles rather than just the surface-level practices.
Prompt and reliable service.......2007-06-07
I am completely satisfied with the shipment and quality of the book. I would absolutely go back to this seller, if he has what I need.
Good agile book.......2007-05-28
This book is one of good agile development book.
It provides the idea to implement agile process in our team.
Book Description
This self-study guide for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam from the Project Management Institute contains everything project managers need to pass the PMP Exam, including 44 processes, and 592 inputs, tools, and outputs. Exam topics are covered and insider secrets, complete explanations of all PMP subjects, test tricks and tips, hundreds of highly realistic sample questions, and exercises designed to strengthen understanding of PMP concepts and prepare managers for exam success on the first attempt are provided.
Customer Reviews:
Lives up to its name.......2007-10-19
I took the PMP last week, and passed it on my first try. I found that Andy's book played a significant role in that accomplishment.
In preparing for the exam, I took Eddie Merla's boot camp, and thoroughly read and studied the following books (in sequence):
- The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management by Eric Verzuh
- Head First PMP by Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman
- PMP In Depth by Dr. Paul Sanghera
- The PMP Exam - How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe
I found Eric's book a great introduction to the subject mater, and following that with Head First really helped develop my understanding of the PMBOK material. Dr. Paul's approach by Process Group gave me another perspective on the material, which I also found to be beneficial in terms of being ready for the exam's approach. Ending with Andy's book left me really prepared for the exam.
I found that Andy's presentation of the material was very thorough. I really appreciate the way he detailed the flow of inputs and outputs throughout the processes, and took time to point out some of the things that just do not flow that way that many might expect - which really helped me in terms of being prepared for the exam. One thing in particular that I liked about Andy's book is that I really enjoyed reading and studying it - it was not the type of book that was a chore to read. Andy's style was interesting in the sense that I could almost here him speaking to me as I read the material. I have read many books in my day, and I think that this is the first one that achieved that merit. Job well done Andy!
Disappointed.......2007-10-07
I've read this and many other PMP study guides and here is my opinion. I passed the PMP exam but NOT due to this book. The main disappointment I have with this book (and a few others) is that it is organized according to the knowledge areas, whereas the PMP exam specifications by PMI are organized according to the process groups. Also it makes more sense to study project management by process groups because this approach is closer to the real life experience: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. If I need to look at the project management body of knowledge organized according to the knowledge areas, I would rather look at the PMBOK Guide. The exam study guides should follow the exam specifications, and should not be a mere re-run of the PMBOK Guide. Also, there is no mention of the exam objectives in any chapter. It reads like more or less a re-run of the PMBOK Guide without any consideration of the exam spec. Other drawbacks of the book are the following:
1.Questions are too easy and not close to the real exam questions
2.For most of the topics the coverage is at very much surface leve, no depth. The adequate explanations and depth are missing.
3.Lots of typos and errors
So, don't use it as a primary source for your preparation. It's ok as a secondary source.
Passed easily!.......2007-09-14
Not sure whether this book was the reason for me passing or the PM PowerTrac CBT tool by Management Concepts (the company I work for has multiple licenses for this). I didn't really do much of the sample questions, I left that to PowerTrac; the content is pretty good though and is readable. I think the key to passing is to understand the structure of the questions and do a few example exams. All in all, my preparation for the exam was about a month, and I wasn't very disciplined either!
If I had used this book first time I would have passed at frst try........2007-09-05
Yes I passed the exam at second attempt. One reason the exam has gotten tough do not expect the question to be as easy as those that are in exercise or simulation exam. For every question you really need to know the fundamentals(as per PMI principles!!). That leads to my second reason for failing, I used much popular Rita Mulacahy's PMP exam prep book. The real problem started when I used the even more expensive PMP fast Track by RMC, each simulation test question answer confused me further. I took the PMP exam and I answered most obvious question with wrong answer. My friend suggested me to forget all other material and focus on this book. This book clearly explains the fundamental behind each knowledge area followed by Input - tools & technique - output of process within this knowledge area. If you understand and remember these gudelines thoroughly you are ready for the exam. If you are lucky and get many math questions you can score up to 70% easily. One more book which helped me was Paul Sanghera's PMP in depth, if you are an IT professional then you may find reading paul's book quiet enjoyable. Good luck.
PMP Reference.......2007-08-26
A great resource for explaining why the answers chosen in their sample exercises are correct or incorrect. This book help to solidify the readers understanding of the PMBOK.
Book Description
Announcing an all-new MCTS Training Kit designed to help maximize your performance on Exam 70-431, a core exam for the new Microsoft IT Professional certifications. This kit packs the tools and features wanted mostincluding in-depth, self-paced training based on final exam content; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and a robust testing suite. It also provides real-world scenarios, case study examples, and troubleshooting labs for skills and expertise that you can apply to the job. Focusing on SQL Server 2005, this official study guide covers topics such as installing and configuring SQL Server, implementing database mirroring, managing database snapshots, working with XML and flat files, managing replication, backing up and restoring a database, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Technology specialist you shall be ...........2007-10-17
SQL Server 2005 Technology Specialist ...As the Certificate suggest after clearing Exam 70-431,you shall be one. This book is excellant guide and has excellant structure. You need to have basic knowledge about databases and its position in the project to be able to absorb all information. I completed by certification in January this year and than I got job in Feburary.I read this book three time before i appeared for exam just because to be able to pass exam you need to some minute details. It all helps at End... I nailed the interview when the interver tried getting technical and when he asked how many indexes one can create on a table I answered by telling exactly how many Non Clus and Clust index can be created and what is the size of index page :). I am working as DBA now. For all those new comers ...I suggest clear this exam and start hunting job as there are good chance you'll get one.
Good mix of general and detail info.......2007-01-05
It's a good quality book with a good ratio of high level and very detail info. Not too many typos, almost none in the examples of SQL statements. I'd recommend it.
Excellent Book. Good exam preperation.......2006-12-29
Very good book. Detailed chapters. Things to remember are highlighted. End of chapter questions were highlighted. For those who are experienced with SQL 2000, you will find most of this book redundant, as most of the stuff comes from SQL 2000. But it does a good job explaining new technologies i.e. Service Broker, Contract/Queue, Partitioning etc.
For those who want to sit for the 70-431 exam, i suggest getting brain dump for this exam (free) or buy a testking cram. I passed on 12/19 with 947. Yeehaa!
Pretty good kit.......2006-12-15
Since I've been working more and more with sql, I'm hoping to take Exam 70-431 early next year. This was recommended to me and it's a pretty good kit.
Good Book -- great value.......2006-12-07
I just passed 70-431. I'm a DBA w/ experience on SQL 2005 and SQL 2000. This book and the accompanying CD were the only tools I used to study. I read the book cover to cover, although I skipped the actual practices. (I would only recommend skipping the practices if you have a lot of real world experience with the product.) Then I moved on to the practice tests on CD, and had pretty mediocre passing scores on three practice tests in certification mode (45 questions, answers scored at end). Finally, I used the practice test in study mode, where you could review your answers as you went to drill down into areas that I needed more work on. Having the accompanying practice test (295 questions) makes this kit a great value. I felt as though I learned a lot during all of this and wasn't just "studying for the test". One word on the test format itself -- there were plenty of simulations to do -- everything was not multiple choice.
Book Description
Written by Microsoft software legend Juval Lowy, Programming WCF Services is the authoritative introduction to Microsoft's new, and some say revolutionary, unified platform for developing service-oriented applications (SOA) on Windows. Relentlessly practical, the book delivers insight, not documentation, to teach developers what they need to know to build the next generation of SOAs.
After explaining the advantages of service-orientation for application design and teaching the basics of how to develop SOAs using WCF, the book shows how you can take advantage of built-in features such as service hosting, instance management, asynchronous calls, synchronization, reliability, transaction management, disconnected queued calls and security to build best in class applications. Programming WCF Services focuses on the rationale behind particular design decisions, often shedding light on poorly-documented and little-understood aspects of SOA development. Developers and architects will learn not only the "how" of WCF programming, but also relevant design guidelines, best practices, and pitfalls. Original techniques and utilities provided by the author throughout the book go well beyond anything that can be found in conventional sources.
Based on experience and insight gained while taking part in the strategic design of WCF and working with the team that implemented it, Programming WCF Services provides experienced working professionals with the definitive work on WCF. Not only will this book make you a WCF expert, it will make you a better software engineer. It's the Rosetta Stone of WCF.
Customer Reviews:
Know what you are buying before you ding the author.......2007-10-22
For those of you who follow this industry, you know that Juval Lowy is truly a legend and not just because Microsoft says so. Don't rip this man's work simply because you were not aware of what you were buying. Do a little research first. Juval almost always takes a deeper dive into the technology. This book is definitely the book of choice if you're wanting to look under the hood of WCF. If you desire a more hands on approach, I highly recommend Learning WCF by Michele Leroux Bustamante.
Very Good WCF Book.......2007-10-17
I had only written a couple of WCF services before purchasing this book, and had survived by relying on samples found online. After purchasing this book, I no longer find myself looking for samples online. This book starts with the basics of WPF and makes them easy to understand. Then it proceeds into advanced topics such as message security, which had me puzzled until I read the chapter in this book.
One of the things I really appreciate as a C# developer is the fact that almost every example in the book shows how to accomplish the given task in the .config file using the XML configuration elements, and also in pure C# code. Many examples I have seen in the MSDN or other documentation only deal with how to set up a client or server using the .config file which is not always practical.
I'm buying a second copy...........2007-10-09
So that I can have a copy on my desk at home. :)
I'm a developer by trade and read technical books quite a bit to stay up to speed with our evolving industry. Rarely do you find a one that`s hard to put down, typically they're just too dry and uneventful. Juvals Programming WCF Services is an exception to this rule, period. At first, I thought it was my hunger to figure out the new programming model coming out of Redmond that kept me glued to this book, but after a few chapters I realized it was the author's vast knowledge of WCF and his style of delivery that was keeping the pages turning. I had to actually stop working the examples because it was keeping me from reading and bookmarking the pages.
I have recommended this book to a number of my colleagues, and feel that if you're going to do enterprise-level design then this book needs to be within arms reach at all times.
A Must Have!.......2007-10-01
Excellent book, it covers every thing you need to know about WCF. Have in mid that this book is not for begginers
Great book on a big subject.......2007-09-05
Arguably, WCF is the most revolutionary development in current software trends. It may change completely technological landscape developers live and work in since the appearance of .NET platform.
Juval Lowy (once again!) has written an extraordinary book. Seemingly he has an absolute and complete knowledge on the subject.
What strikes me even more, is how carefull and lovingly Juval leads the reader through the forest of technical details to the deep and solid understanding of both underlying technology and practical implementation of WCF.
If after hours of reading you suddenly feel lost, all you have to do is go back half a page and you are on track again.
I just wish I had such a wonderfull teacher every time I have to learn something new.
Average customer rating:
- No book comes close
- Great Book on Hiberanate
- The Bible of ORM
- Not as good as the first edition
- Very badly written
|
Java Persistence with Hibernate
Christian Bauer , and
Gavin King
Manufacturer: Manning Publications
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ASIN: 1932394885 |
Book Description
Persistence-the ability of data to outlive an instance of a program-is central to modern applications. Hibernate, the most popular Java persistence tool, provides automatic and transparent object/relational mapping making it a snap to work with SQL databases in Java applications. Hibernate applications are cheaper, more portable, and more resilient to change. Because it conforms to the new EJB 3.0 and Java Persistence 1.0 standard, Hibernate allows the developer to seamlessly create efficient, scalable Java EE applications.
Java Persistence with Hibernate explores Hibernate by developing an application that ties together hundreds of individual examples. You'll immediately dig into the rich programming model of Hibernate 3.2 and Java Persistence, working through queries, fetching strategies, caching, transactions, conversations, and more. You'll also appreciate the well-illustrated discussion of best practices in database design, object/relational mapping, and optimization techniques.
In this revised edition of the bestselling Hibernate in Action, authors Christian Bauer and Gavin King-the founder of the Hibernate project-cover Hibernate 3.2 in detail along with the EJB 3.0 and Java Persistence standard.
Customer Reviews:
No book comes close.......2007-10-23
If you want to *understand* Hibernate/JPA and ORM then this book is for you. Besides being most complete reference of how-to's of Hibernate/JPA it really goes a long way to explain why Java persistence is the way it is and why things should be done one way and not another. If you are serious about Java development with persistence objects then keep this book close at all times.
Great Book on Hiberanate.......2007-09-28
Direct from the source :-)
Great book to read from the original Hibernate developers. In depth and wide coverage about Hibernate.
The Bible of ORM.......2007-09-03
What I liked about this book is that I actually can read it as a literary book, it's not only a reference. Something to keep by the bed. Gave me the whole picture (Object Relation Mapping in general, it's place in J2EE, Domain Driven Design, testing etc) and gory details (caching, native SQL, batching, extended PersistenceContext, etc).
16-page index including annotations, far better than googling for Answers.
In case you're only looking for the JPA Annotations details (or vice versa) you need to be alert when reading - after choosing JPA as our implementation strategy, I could skip many paragraphs and get through faster.
If you really want to understand ORM through Hibernate, this is all you need. And time to read the 841 pages, of course.
Not as good as the first edition.......2007-08-31
This book is still very informative, but it has grown to over 800 pages. It is no longer 'short and sweet'. One of the reasons it has doubled in size is that both Hibernate, JPA, and EJB 3.0 are covered. Moreover, the topics are interleaved, so it is hard to flip to the Hibernate specific content, for example without going through the other details.
Very badly written.......2007-08-31
I've struggled through about 600 of the 1000 pages of this unnecessarily large book now and have come to the conclusion that there must be something else out there that is better written, more concise, and better structured. I'm not sure what it is, but my advice is to avoid this book. It sucks. The authors clearly are not native English speakers because the sentence structure is very awkward throughout the book. It makes reading very tiresome. They haven't put much thought into the structure either. There's no basic introduction or grounding for what Hibernate is or does. The more important chapters are buried at the back of the book. There's a huge lack of consistency and barely no examples to illustrate how to use Hibernate. They try to tackle too much all at once with Hibernate, JPA, and EJB. It's so overwhelming and it needn't be.
Average customer rating:
- Not a Project Management Guide
- real world pm
- project management with your feet on the ground and your heart on it
- highly practical and thorough coverage
- Great book
|
The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly))
Scott Berkun
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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ASIN: 0596007868 |
Book Description
The Art of Project Management covers it all--from practical methods for making sure work gets done right and on time, to the mindset that can make you a great leader motivating your team to do their best. Reading this was like reading the blueprint for how the best projects are managed at Microsoft... I wish we always put these lessons into action!" --Joe Belfiore, General Manager, E-home Division, Microsoft Corporation
"Berkun has written a fast paced, jargon-free and witty guide to what he wisely refers to as the 'art' of project management. It's a great introduction to the discipline. Seasoned and new managers will benefit from Berkun's perspectives." --Joe Mirza, Director, CNET Networks (Cnet.com)
"Most books with the words 'project management' in the title are dry tomes. If that's what you are expecting to hear from Berkun's book, you will be pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's about project management. But it's also about creativity, situational problem-solving, and leadership. If you're a team member, project manager, or even a non-technical stakeholder, Scott offers dozens of practical tools and techniques you can use, and questions you can ask, to ensure your projects succeed." --Bill Bliss, Senior VP of product and customer experience, expedia.com
In The Art of Project Management, you'll learn from a veteran manager of software and web development how to plan, manage, and lead projects. This personal account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the industry distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice. Inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, this is the book you and your team need to have within arms reach. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come.
Topics include:
- How to make things happen
- Making good decisions
- Specifications and requirements
- Ideas and what to do with them
- How not to annoy people
- Leadership and trust
- The truth about making dates
- What to do when things go wrong
Customer Reviews:
Not a Project Management Guide.......2007-10-14
I guess I expected more after reading some of the reviews, but was disappointed to find out that it is a high level project management supplemental book. If you are a beginning PMer looking for a good book about the fundamentals of PM, this is not the book. The level of the content is for those who simply want a book that is more a novel than a help book.
real world pm.......2007-06-29
An easy and fun to read book, based on real life examples and experiences. While reading it, I got many tips from the book and apply them in my onw work.
project management with your feet on the ground and your heart on it.......2007-05-24
I really love this book!! I've read many books about how to run projects, to keep teams motivated, to be an effective leader, and I think this book compiles all of the above, plus it gives you a grounded point of view. There are no promises, only hard work and ways to improve your performance.
I've used some of the recommendations included in chapter 13: How to make things happen and, although is not a guarantee of success, I have accomplished some of my most difficult projects with it and the ones I didn't, at least I know why.
[...].
highly practical and thorough coverage.......2007-05-12
Reading this book is almost as good as having a highly experienced mentor help you manage a project. The book provides very thorough coverage with sound, practical advice. There is a good list of reference material as well. I have been a software developer for more than 25 years and have managed several projects and still found I learned a lot from this book. I wish it had been available years ago. The book also provided confirmation for many of my beliefs about which I disagree with my current project manager. I hope to use this book to help convince him to change. I will be managing my own project again soon and plan to use use this book to help me succeed. Every software developer should read this book even if they are not a project manager. My only very slight criticism is that the book is most helpful to software product projects, but I think even internal development projects should be run as this book explains.
Great book.......2007-05-09
This is a great book.
Filled with real-world wisdom, it prepares you for what to expect in the world of project management as a career option.
Especially usefull for people from software development background.
Book Description
A comprehensive, hands-on reference for database developers and administrators, this book focuses on advanced querying techniques using Transact-SQL (T-SQL), the database programming language built into SQL Server. Includes code and table examples.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent contribution to the "Inside-SQL" series.......2007-10-09
This is the 2nd book of the 4 part "Inside-SQL" series, with each book I imagine, appealing to a different reader. Having a programming background, I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series ("The Storage Engine"), which on it's own is also an excellent book.
As mentioned in other reviews, this book is definitely not for beginners. The authors assumes a basic level of SQL knowledge from the reader as he launches into complex Transact-SQL examples - unlike most books which start the reader with simple SQL examples and progress through to complex ones.
While reading this book, it was easy to compare it's contents with Ken Henderson's popular "A Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL", with the latter book becoming more and more outdated by the improvements in Transact-SQL since it was published. If you're a fan of Henderson, you will quickly become a fan of Itzik.
A benefit of this book is that unlike most SQL 2005 books, this is not an update on SQL 2000 material, but instead starts at the 2005 level. The author focuses on the new syntax introduced in SQL 2005, and then, moves onto older SQL 2000 syntax and compares both the complexity and the performance differences between the two. This itself is invaluable to those of use that code in Transact-SQL and feel more comfortable using the "old ways". This book highlights how the new syntax is in fact simpler and more efficient - we just need to take the time and effort to understand and become familiar with the new language changes.
The book starts by discussing the logical processing of a SELECT statement, which helps the reader to understand the hows and whys of writing a query. I finally understood why I can't use an expression's alias in a WHERE BY or GROUP BY clause (as the SELECT line is one of the last parts of the statement to be processed). Throughout the book, the author often defines a problem and allows the reader to formulate an appropriate solution. He then reveals MULTIPLE solutions and explains why each is good or bad. The book ends with a selection of "logic puzzles" that test the reader's ability to solve logical problems. This was both fun and informative.
After reading this book, I found myself changing the way I constructed SQL queries at work - for the better!
Pedantic.......2007-09-20
The MS SQL books have dramatically risen in quality in a few short years. When SQL 7 and 2000 were released, there were may be 1-3 book which were truly outstanding. For SQL 2005, however, there are at least 5-10 books which are truly worthwhile and this is one of them.
The reason why the quality of books has risen is the expertise of the authors. For this book, the authors are either MS SQL MVP or have been involved with the creation of MS SQL at Microsoft.
Generally speaking, the book has high level expert description of the underlying MS SQL 2005 architecture and T-SQL commands. But it lacks a nice flowing writing style which hempers the understanding to a willing reader. This book is an another example of authors who are inept at explaining the subject matter which they are an expert much like a professor who can't teach.
I also felt some parts of the book were sloppy or not as detailed. For example, the authors state that one of the steps of T-SQL query tuning is the need to correlate wait stats with problematic queries. Yet they never provide an adequate example (other than providing a useless query of SYS.DM_OS_PERFORMANCE_COUNTERS table) of how to connect wait stat with a specific transaction. This is a huge missing link.
PROS:
1)Awesome details on Indexes and Query plans
2)Solid advice on how to improve T-SQL for better performance.
Cons:
1)Not for the beginners. The book goes straight to the harder subjects (PIVOT, APPLY, complex joins etc).
2)Does not cover simple or fundamental subject matters.
Excellent.......2007-09-20
Normally I don't write a review but I liked this book enough to do so. I am a programmer not an SQL developer. I knew the basics but not the details and I had to write complex queries in SQL 2005 so I researched books for couple days before I bought this one. I have never heard of CTE, APPLY, ROW_NUMBER or PIVOT to mention few. This book at the beginning gives you the basics to understand how queries are processed internally, the difference between the types of indexes and how to read the execution plans. Then it dives into the language. Each example is well thought. The example goes over the syntax, performance and also optimization. I read all of it and did most of the examples.
Not a handy reference book.......2007-09-19
Coming from an Oracle shop over to a MSS shop I was looking for a book that would provide me with the features of T-SQL, as well as act as a handy reference. The book is likely good as a teaching resource, albeit the English usage is horrible. As a quick reference, though, it's less handy than navigating the M$ online resources.
A must for every MSS dba's desk? Nah. Not even close. I have a doctorate in MIS and this is exactly the kind of convoluted writing that makes practitioners wince when they see someone with a Ph.D.
A Timely Release & A Great Resource.......2007-09-17
This book fits perfectly between SQL Books Online and the deeper T-SQL Programing books. For me the detailed theory of operation behind how T-SQL runs queries and making note of that flow as it applies to each type of query through out the book makes it all "Click".
If this is your style too and you don't want to just copy and tweak queries THIS is the book for you.
Customer Reviews:
Must read.......2007-08-29
For all parties involved in Software Development this is a must read. It is an easy read with excellent real life stories highlighting the key themes and principles.
The most influential book I've read in my profession.......2007-07-23
I'm a programmer by trade and have been for the past 15 years. I've led many large and small projects. Over the years you learn what works and what doesn't. I never did figured out why that was until I read Lean Software Development book. Not only did it explain why some projects make it and some don't it also gave me tips on how to change the equation for my future projects. It gave me the data and the reasoning to help me understand and also help me explain it to others in simple terms with good reasoning to back it up. The book is one of the most influential books I've read in my profession. I encouraged all of my team and bosses to buy it and read it. Thank you Mary and Tom for writing the book.
Great Principles based on Bad Assumptions.......2007-05-08
I am a senior software systems engineer working for an aerospace company. I recently read the Poppendicks' book and have mixed feelings about it. Overall they present some great lean development principles and tools that appear to be useful in boosting productivity in my software engineering organization. On the other hand, their understanding of CMM/CMMI is so off-base that it is hard for me to take them seriously as authors.
They misrepresented CMM several times in the book, so they either do not understand what CMM is and how it works, or they are intentionally misrepresenting it to "scare" people into using their lean software tools. The reality is that agile software development principles and tools fit perfectly into the CMM/CMMI models and the Poppendicks would have a much stronger book if they realized that. Rather than bashing CMM to make their tools seem more useful, they might do better if they realized that CMM/CMMI and lean software development can work perfectly together.
My advice to people interested in buying the book is to only read the book if you can take what the Poppendicks say with a grain of salt. Read about the lean principles/tools and think of how you could apply them in your software development environment. In the spirit of implementing the primary principle of lean development (i.e. eliminate waste), I would ignore the anecdotes they include in the book. They appear to be intentionally sensational while offering little value.
concise and thorough mapping of lean production learning onto Agile software development practices.......2007-04-09
Reading this book is like taking simultaneous intensive courses in both lean production manufacturing systems and agile software development. The Poppendiecks provide 22 (yes, they're numbered) tools for planning and running development projects, each of which is derived from their experience with physical product development and manufacturing. These tools are each presented at an overview level, with real world examples interspersed throughout. However, the authors use an academic footnoting style that makes it easy to identify other books that could be used to find deeper knowledge on any one subject.
I found that the greatest value the book provides is in putting Agile concepts into a framework that has proven real world success. Traditional project management is so entrenched that abandoning Gant and Pert charts for burnddown graphs and backlogs can feel both risky and unproven. Seeing that the underlying concepts of Agile are not only present in other industries, but are in fact the drivers of competitive advantage gives me a huge confidence boost as I try to apply them.
Of the tools provided, I found some to have especially thought provoking aspects. Among these was:
Tool 1- Seeing Waste: Since anything that does not deliver value to the customer is waste, and customers do not use a majority of available features, implementing fewer features is almost always a good goal.
Tool 6 - Set Based Development: Structure teams so that members inform each other about the entire set of possible solutions to a problem rather than a back and forth response to specific proposals. The intersection of sets of possibility will more quickly identify workable solutions.
Tool 8 - The Last Possible Moment: Delay decisions as long as they can responsibly be delayed in order to more fully explore alternatives, and to allow the correct design to take shape through feedback from customers. The implication is that systems must be architected skillfully so that they can accommodate a variety of different directions in the future.
Tool 10 - Pull Systems: Make sure the team knows what needs to be accomplished, and help them set up mechanisms for signaling when they need work from others, but demand that they schedule themselves.
Tool 21 - Measurements: Don't measure the performance of individual components; this can lead to local optimization at the expense of the product as a whole. Instead, measure one level above where each person or team is working. Individuals are measured on the success of the team. Feature teams are measured on the success of the product, and so on.
The bibliography at the end also deserves a special mention, as it is thorough and obviously contains books covering most of the concepts discussed in the main text. A good education in this field could probably begin by simply reading through the books listed there from first to last.
Overall an excellent an informative book with many practical insights.
One of the best management books ever written.......2007-03-12
Very no-nonsense review of best development practices with NO RELIGIOUS FERVOR. Unlike most other books, the authors cover all the best practices and all argument actually make sense.
Book Description
Get in-depth preparation for Exam 70-526, an exam for the new MCTS: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Application certificationand build real-world job skills. Includes test questions, reviews, troubleshooting labs, an exam discount, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Very concise reference material.......2007-10-05
This book is very well organized and contains most of the material needed to pass the exam. It is a great reference book for development as well.
The book teaches you how to make professional web sites........2007-09-09
Before writing of this review I have read some rumours about the book. Some people say it does not cover all the details for the exam itself. Again as with 70-536 Training Kit from the same set I have found out that the contrary is true. It is a very good book that concentrates on main aspects of .NET web development. Even a beginner after reading the book is able to use EVERY important functionality. Of course if you are a professional you have to study and develop yourself your .NET web applications at least in order to confirm and assure what you have learned. Again the book is very self-motivating. Probably that is also the main reason why some in-depth details are missing at right places and moments. The book has all you need to master the technology and exam itself.
2 many authors........2007-09-04
This review is about the unfortunate disparity in abilities of the 2 authors: Glenn Johnson and Tony Northrup.
Johnson is a nice surprise to those who read microsoft training manuals. He anticipates reader's problems and never leaves you frustrated.
Northrup is the opposite. His chapters are irritatingly lacking in necessary examples and thorough explanations. You cannot avoid the notion that he is taking the easy way out. At times I believe I can hear his X-Box 360 running in the background
In chapter 9, lesson 3 on using WebParts, he admonishes the reader that its up to him to spring ahead many pages to some of the labs at the end of the lesson. He doesn't bother to provide enough of an explanation to do you any good. Mr. Johnson, again, provides both immediate examples and labs.
This is typical.
I don't see how you can avoid being frustrated by this. Carefully crafted explanations followed immediately by examples is the norm. Johnson takes of this, Northrup leaves you constantly throwing your hands up.
I am learning quite a bit, however. You can master much of the elements of Net 2.0 using this book. Be prepared to do additional online research of Mr. Northrups chapters, however.
Passed First Time, but . . ........2007-08-16
I used the book as my principle but not sole source of study material, and I was able to pass the exam today the first time I took it.
The book covers all the * topics * on the exam, but the book alone will not help you to pass.
I credit these factors:
1. Reading the book
2. Doing the lab exercises and case scenarios, especially if it's a topic you're not familiar with.
3. Taking the practice exams on the CD - then clicking the More Info links - you do need to read the info on the MSDN site.
4. Having experience with ASP.NET - I don't see how you can pass without work experience, unless you make lucky guesses
Also, if you come across a question that totally stumps you, just try to reason through it, don't make a blind guess.
Definitely NOT ENOUGH........2007-08-01
I will agree with the other reviewer who said that this book alone is NOT enough to pass the test.
After deciding to take the exam, I searched high and low for books and this was the only 70-528 prep book I could find. I got this book and spent months going over it and taking the practice exams. I could easily pass the practice exam questions before I went in and felt like I had a good grasp of the material. Another reviewer said that they passed the exam despite the fact that they failed the practice exam, and I honestly do not know how they could have passed. Based on co-worker's comparison of the this book and the practice exams for test 70-536, I decided to go in and take the test.
Let me tell you, the book does NOT go into enough detail in either the examples/text/lessons OR the practice exam. I managed to barely pass the exam by the skin of my teeth.. mostly using this book as a basis and all my on the job experience as a supplement. Unless you are a hands on developer with a fair amount of job experience to back you, just using this book to prepare is NOT going to be enough.
Do yourself a favor and have a very thorough grasp on the material or be prepared to throw the money away.
Book Description
Today's students want to practice the application of concepts. As with the previous editions of this book, the authors write to balance the coverage of concepts, tools, techniques, and their applications, and to provide the most examples of system analysis and design deliverables available in any book. The textbook also serves the reader as a professional reference for best current practices.
Customer Reviews:
Good.......2007-09-24
The book has arrived in the range of the days they premised. The qualities of the item and the service are good- they sent the book within a big box filled with many soft balls so that they could protect the hard coverage of the book.
Yeah, it is a good way of shopping. Well, it will be better if the price is lower or the good can arrive sooner. Thank you.
Wonderful Scope of Systems Analysis and Design Methods.......2007-07-03
Provides a wonderful scope of systems analysis and design methods, and a bunch of related topics. After reading this book, you should feel comfortable going to any organization and providing them with a model/graphic of their business processes.
as well written as could be for a dry subject of systems analysis.......2007-05-24
I had to take Systems Analysis as part of my masters degree and usually, anything you _must_ take becomes less interesting BUT, this book does a good job of clearly explaining the process of systems analysis.
From identifying entities in a process flow diagram with visual aides to the accompanying CDROM with slide show presentations of the content, I think this book provides a painless way to learn the material.
It's concisely written but a little verbose at times.
The author makes heavy use of graphics and sample diagrams so you can see how industry professionals do it.
Broad, but sometimes not deep.......2007-04-19
Whitten and Bentley have put together a very good text for a one-semester intro to systems analysis. After a wide-ranging introductory section, the real meat of this book appears in Parts 2 and 3: Analysis and Design.
Part 2 spends just one chapter on requirements discovery. This is the one section of the book that I found a lot thinner than it should be. The first problem is that requirements engineering is a field all its own, and has (or should have) direct connections to every work product that comes after in the development cycle. Although later chapters (especially use cases and even protoyping) offer additional ways to elicit meaningful requests from users, the whole task of making sure that the requirements are complete, consistent, and traceable to downstream effort is barely addressed. The second, and I think bigger problem is that the authors talk only about requirements from the users, plus "non-functional" requirements like reliability and performance. There's a lot to debate in categorizing requirements as non- or functional, depending on the kind of application, but the real defect in the discussion is one they share with most other authors in the field: they simply ignore the standards and regulations that affect system development. The SEC, FAA, and FDA impose requirements, as do legal enactments (HIPAA, ITAR for crypto, Sorbanes-Oxley), look&feel, and standards for networking, data exchange, and a gazillion other areas. Depending on the field you work in, you'll spend a lot more time worrying about regulatory and standards compliance than about anything the customer said.
Despite this uninspiring start, Part 2 moves along well. It presents use cases (though in a particularly fussy way), modeling techniques, and enough UML to help but not enough to overwhelm - and the whole can be quite overwhelming.
Part 3 addresses high level design. If your classroom is a typical one, this is where the students students with little, no, or ancient programming experience may start to struggle. It does a fair job with the common kinds of human-oriented IO, even if it shortchanges other systems with more intricate kinds of data manipulation (e.g. compilers or weather modeling). Because this addresses analysis as a separate task from programming, the authors have no reason to go into a lot of directly codable depth. This will frustrate the techies, but the little depth that it does address might intimidate thosewith more of a business orientation. It's a problem that I think has no solution as long as the people who build systems and the people who want them are in the same classroom.
Finally, Part 4 acknowledges the fact that systems are not just designed. Although it skips deployment and maintenance, this section does touch on low-level implementation and day to day operations. Now that they've gotten away from the core requirements, specification, and design content, I think the authors are making a quiet suggestion to the instructor who uses this book: it's your curriculum, add your spin to it. Everyone who looks this text over will see soft spots, but I'll bet that no two people see the same ones. We all come into this text with our own interests, specialties, experience, and strengths. One of the joys of teaching is the chance to add your own kind of depth to a course.
This is a fair cookbook. By that, I mean that you can follow the instructions and get a reliable set of results from it. Or, if you read this a little more broadly, it invites all the embellisments and complements that an active researcher or practitioner is sure to think of.
//wiredweird
Good to go.......2007-04-02
Product was delivered on time and in the condition as described. Good deal.
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