Sunday, December 6, 2009

Software Craftsmanship or Inside Cisco

Software Craftsmanship: The New Imperative

Author: Pete McBreen

better applications.

Today’s software development projects are often based on the traditional software engineering model, which was created to develop large-scale defense projects. Projects that use this antiquated industrial model tend to take longer, promise more, and deliver less.

As the demand for software has exploded, the software engineering establishment has attempted to adapt to the changing times with short training programs that teach the syntax of coding languages. But writing code is no longer the hard part of development; the hard part is figuring out what to write. This kind of know-how demands a skilled craftsman, not someone who knows only how to pass a certification course.

Software Craftsmanship presents an alternative—a craft model that focuses on the people involved in commercial software development. This book illustrates that it is imperative to turn from the technology-for-its-own-sake model to one that is grounded in delivering value to customers. The author, Pete McBreen, presents a method to nurture mastery in the programmer, develop creative collaboration in small developer teams, and enhance communications with the customer. The end result—skilled developers who can create, extend, and enhance robust applications.

This book addresses the following topics, among others:

  • Understanding customer requirements
  • Identifying when a project may go off track
  • Selecting software craftsmen for a particular project
  • Designing goals for application development
  • Managing software craftsmen
  • Software Craftsmanship is written forprogrammers who want to become exceptional at their craft and for the project manager who wants to hire them.





    Table of Contents:
    Foreword
    Preface
    Pt. 1Questioning Software Engineering1
    1Understanding Software Engineering3
    2The Problems with Software Engineering11
    3Understanding Software Development17
    4Finding a Better Metaphor Than Software Engineering25
    Pt. 2Software Craftsmanship31
    5Putting People Back into Software Development33
    6Craftsmanship Is the Opposite of Licensing37
    Pt. 3Implications of Software Craftsmanship45
    7How Craftsmanship Affects the Users of Systems47
    8Customers Have a Different Relationship with Craftsmen55
    9Managing Craftsmen69
    10Becoming a Software Craftsman79
    11Mastering the Craft85
    12Apprentice Developers93
    13Journeymen Developers105
    Pt. 4Repositioning Software Engineering109
    14Software Engineering Projects111
    15Hazards of the Software Engineering Metaphor117
    16Learning from Software Engineering131
    Pt. 5What to Do on Monday Morning139
    17Experience - The Best Indicator of Project Success141
    18Design for Testing and Maintenance155
    19Perpetual Learning171
    Epilogue179
    Acknowledgments181
    Index183

    Look this: Texturing Modeling or Case Studies in Knowledge Management

    Inside Cisco: The Real Story of Sustained M&A Growth

    Author: Ed Paulson

    An insider reveals the core strategies behind Cisco's phenomenal success

    Most savvy business observers agree that the major component in Cisco's phenomenal growth has been their unwavering commitment to expanding their product line through aggressive acquisitions. Since 1995, the "New Goliath," as Cisco is known throughout the business and finance communities, has acquired more than sixty companies. In this groundbreaking book, a Silicon Valley veteran, Ed Paulson, uses his strong connections to Cisco's management to reveal the M&A gospel according to Cisco.

    Paulson explores how Cisco has used acquisitions to stay ahead of its competitors, analyzes their strategies and proven methods for incorporating new companies seamlessly, positively, and profitably. Paulson reveals the centerpiece of Cisco's acquisition strategy-one that is company-focused, culturally compatible, and retains staff. He examines how Cisco executives determine if a target company is compatible with Cisco's corporate culture and strategic outlook and describes the extraordinary lengths to which these executives will go to gain the loyalty of acquired people. This book details the Cisco methodology and illustrates how it can be applied to companies across industries.

    Ed Paulson (Chicago, IL) is President of Technology and Communications, Inc., a business and technology consulting firm and a visiting professor at DePaul University's School for New Training. He is a Silicon Valley veteran with more than two decades of experience and the author of numerous business and technology books, most recently, The Technology M&A Guidebook (Wiley:0-471-36010-4).

    Publishers Weekly

    Once the gold-plated standard for how to succeed on the Internet, Cisco Systems has since lost some of its luster. But even though the company's stock price has dropped, Paulson (The Technology M&A Guidebook) makes a convincing case for still using Cisco as a model for how other companies can manage their M&A (merger and acquisition) growth. For one, Cisco buys companies not just when it is trying to expand or protect itself against potential competitors, but rather "as an integral part of its system," thus looking ahead for future growth. Indeed, Cisco's acquisitions have been prolific, and the author explains who the company targets for acquisitions and why. Unlike many acquirers, Cisco tries to retain most of the personnel during an acquisition, and Paulson shows how that makes good sense. According to Cisco CEO John Chambers, "If you pay $500,000 to $2 million per person... and you lose 30 to 40 percent of those people in the first two years, you've made a terrible decision." Paulson shows most of Cisco's major acquisitions and the buying price per employee, which is appropriate for a book on M&A's, of course, but he is too meandering to offer specific, helpful information. Those interested in refining their company's M&A strategies won't find too much here to help them; Paulson makes a great case why Cisco is good at what it does, but aphorisms like "[Cisco] listens closely to its customers" are less than effective. Such lines suggest that the book is targeted more at a general business audience, but how many of those readers actually need advice on how to buy companies? (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.



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