Responding to Significant Software Events

by Gerald Weinberg

Overview

To consistently produce high-quality software in today's competitive marketplace, managers must have reliable information, obtained through careful observation and measurement. But measurement alone is insufficient to produce quality software. With measurements in hand, a manager must first interpret the significance of those measurements. Yet again, understanding significance is useless unless the manager responds appropriately.
Responding to Significant Software Events is a comprehensive guide to those two basic measurement activities every organization must perform to manage the software development process.
Many management failures occur even when observations are well done. Responding to Significant Software Events tells how to determine the significance of those observations, and then to respond with appropriate actions.
Numerous examples and diagrams illustrate the author's points, and exercises challenge readers to test their understanding of the concepts. Topics include
• measuring emotional significance
• translating observation into action
• dealing with swarms of failures
* planning projects composed of measurable tasks
• communicating about plans and progress
• reviews as basic measurement tools
• measuring failures before they happen
• listening with precision
• using requirements as the basis of measurement.
This stand-alone text is the fourth in a series of volumes in which acclaimed author Gerald Weinberg explores the most difficult aspects of building high-quality software.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012151339
Publisher:	Gerald Weinberg
Publication date:	01/28/2011
Series:	Quality Software , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

I've always been interested in helping smart people be happy and productive. To that end, I've published books on human behavior, including Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method, The Psychology of Computer Programming, Perfect Software and Other Fallacies, and an Introduction to General Systems Thinking. I've also written books on leadership including Becoming a Technical Leader, The Secrets of Consulting (Foreword by Virginia Satir), More Secrets of Consulting, and the four-volume Quality Software Management series.

I try to incorporate my knowledge of science, engineering, and human behavior into all of my writing and consulting work (with writers, hi-tech researchers, software engineers, and people whose life-situation could require the use of a service dog). I write novels about such people, including The Aremac Project, Aremac Power, Jigglers, First Stringers, Second Stringers, The Hands of God, Freshman Murders, Earth's Endless Effort, and Mistress of Molecules—all about how my brilliant protagonists produce quality work and learn to be happy. My books may be found as eBooks at <http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JerryWeinberg>; on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B000AP8TZ8; and at Barnes and Noble.

Early in my career, I was the architect for the Project Mercury's space tracking network and designer of the world's first multiprogrammed operating system. I won the Warnier Prize, the Stevens Award, and the first Software Testing Professionals' Luminary Award, all for mu writing on software quality. I was also elected a charter member of the Computing Hall of Fame in San Diego and chosen for the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame.

But the "award" I'm most proud of is The book, The Gift of Time (Fiona Charles, ed.) written by my student and readers for my 75th birthday. Their stories make me feel that I've been at least partially successful at helping smart people be happy.

Editorial Reviews

". . . brimming with simple techniques and examples of their application."

Roger D.H. Warburton

This book focuses on an issue of huge importance to software managers: how to respond appropriately to people (clients, bosses, team members) in difficult, emotionally charged situations. The author uses simple but effective models to explain human behavior. He includes examples from the software engineering industry to put these models in contexts familiar to software developers. The models can help all software professionals to understand and deal with conflicts more effectively, every day

Derek Mahlitz

"The wealth of wisdom in this volume speaks directly to individuals who want to improve their own powers of observation—a prerequisite to successfully applying knowledge to improve software quality. . . . This book is a must for all sentient software line and project managers!"

Shel Siegel

"This book is a software starship that has gone where no-one has gone before; and if there is further to go, Weinberg is certainly not stopping us from going."

Nicholas Zvegintzov