Practical Software Project Management

I'm often asked by clients, partners, and friends about the basics of software development and software project management.

There's much to write about practical software project management. I have on archive a compilation of the very interesting discussions shared with respected colleagues about the subject, and I intend to compile that into a series of articles, or a book, soon.

For now, I'll just provide the shortest possible reading list about the economics and logistics of software development.

• Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change, by Kent Beck is the nominal book about the modern economics of software development.
• Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, explains that software development is an endeavour characterized by uncertainty, and provides techniques to accept and manage uncertainty in pro of successful software projects.
• Writing Effective Use Cases, by Alistair Cockburn, is about capturing user requirements in the simplest yet most effective way.

Of course, there is much more to read and much more to say about effective software project management. But if you think you like the time, start with those six hundred pages of easy to read and well illustrated text.