Software-Technology – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules

By Scott J. Pearson | April 18, 2026April 18, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

For decades, the classic project-management challenge has been to produce software quicker with more features and less bugs. Software, however, has its revenge because scheduling it accurately and precisely is a highly inexact science. Even the best, seasoned estimators struggle at first attempt. This book by Steve McConnell, though written 30 years ago, gives communal sympathy towards development teams who can seemingly never meet a deadline. Further, he actually provides some answers on how to…

Software-Technology

A Philosophy of Software Design

By Scott J. Pearson | April 9, 2026April 9, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Writing computer code provides a programmer incredible freedom, but writing good code that’ll work in a team environment is a trickier assignment. Many coders fall back on whatever guidelines their manager issues, but that approach can obscure the real challenge. Not only is someone programming a computer to achieve a certain goal, but that person is simultaneously writing a letter to their future self and fellow programmers about what they are trying to do. Clear…

Healthcare Management-Business Software-Technology

Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech

By Scott J. Pearson | April 8, 2026April 8, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Today, biotech companies are synonymous with high-risk, high-reward research that advances the healthcare and wallets of countries with advanced economies. However, fifty years ago, this type of company did not exist. There were university research labs, and there were big corporations. No startup companies sought to translate the small experiments into lucrative business ventures. Out of Silicon Valley, California, Genentech was one of the first to do so. They translated work in recombinant DNA technology…

Healthcare Management-Business Software-Technology

From Breakthrough to Blockbuster: The Business of Biotechnology

By Scott J. Pearson | April 4, 2026April 4, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Biotechnology is a hot topic in today’s global economy. It promises to help humanity, so it often receives startup funding from governments. Success stories show the strong financial potential of the right investments. Big pharmaceutical companies (“big pharma”) can purchase entire companies for large amounts of profits. Yet the risks are great, with an estimated 90% of ventures ending in non-successful outcomes. There seems little that can be done to predict success from the outset.…

Artificial Intelligence Leadership

Leaderwired: The AI-Era Leadership Playbook for Transforming How You Think, Decide & Lead

By Scott J. Pearson | March 22, 2026March 22, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Change is the key challenge to any leader because there’s no great way to predict its course. New things arise, and no clear direction exists. All we can do is to prepare ourselves and our mindsets to embrace new challenges with a realistic yet positive attitude. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key case in point. As a paradigm-shifting technology, it is changing the way workplaces operate, and those who don’t adapt well – or don’t…

Indie Program Management Software-Technology

Beyond Delivery: How Technical Program Managers Lead Change & Grow with Impact

By Scott J. Pearson | March 21, 2026March 21, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Technical Program Managers (TPMs) are a recent phenomenon, particularly in larger organizations that use a lot of IT to achieve value. They combine the technical role and a leadership role in one function to enhance technical value. However, today’s literature on how to excel as a TPM is relatively sparse. Johnathan Stephen Sexton adds his experiences as a Walmart TPM to the mix in this book of homespun wisdom. As a very experience-driven account, he…

Program Management Software-Technology

Technical Program Manager’s Handbook: Second Edition

By Scott J. Pearson | March 6, 2026March 6, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Technical Program Management represents a hot field to work in. In today’s world, many have skills to be software developers, and many know how to manage a program of projects, but few combine those skills to manage an entire program of software development projects. In an increasingly digital world, these combined skills are both marketable and valuable and define what a technical program manager (TPM) does. They are force multipliers to projects and organizations who…

Artificial Intelligence

Practical Generative AI with ChatGPT: Unleash Your Prompt Engineering Potential with OpenAI Technologies for Productivity and Creativity

By Scott J. Pearson | February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Most of us are impressed with how well Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently advanced, but we’re still struggling to use it to improve our personal productivity. We’ve heard of the promises but fear the shortcomings, too. Books like Valentina Alto’s Practical Generative AI with ChatGPT can point the way to us capitalizing on the promise in our personal work. Alto briefly covers the topic of Prompt Engineering that’s key to making the most out of…

Artificial Intelligence Software-Technology

Designing Machine Learning Systems: An Iterative Process for Production-Ready Applications

By Scott J. Pearson | January 14, 2026January 14, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Machine learning (ML) is a hot yet daunting topic. It’s perhaps the most important technological advancement supporting the revolution in artificial intelligence (AI), and most leading IT companies have been extracting value from it for some time. Almost every time predictions are made by a computer, like when a product or really anything is recommended, ML is at work. This book explains in technical detail how to get ML projects out of theory and into…

Indie Program Management Software-Technology

Mastering JIRA for Agile Projects: A Practical Guide with Real-World Examples (Confluence Included)

By Scott J. Pearson | December 18, 2025December 18, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Jira is becoming a leading tool for project management at larger businesses, and using it is a skill required for many jobs. This book teaches you how to master Jira processes to manage projects under Agile or Scrum paradigms. Half of this book focuses on Confluence software, which my workplace does not use. Therefore, half of the book was irrelevant to me. However, the Jira sections gave me a formal training that I lacked. It…