software - Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Transforming IT Culture: How to Use Social Intelligence, Human Factors & Collaboration to Create an IT Department That Outperforms

By Scott J. Pearson | May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

I liked this book a lot. It’s labeled as a part of a “CIO Series,” but that’s really a mislabel. It’s for anyone working with software developers who has to navigate a distinct company culture. It’s especially geared for those who want to mold that culture for good. Software development is a tricky industry. Good people are hard to find, and they often don’t have a stereotypical personality – especially if they’re really talented. Yet…

Engineering Management for the Rest of Us

By Scott J. Pearson | April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Engineering management books can sometimes be a bit technical, like the field of engineering itself. Of course, it’s no surprise that engineers often view the task as one of exacting competence – like their work. Yet management can, in truth, be its own thing because it deals with people. Humans pose their own set of challenges, and few can speak authoritatively about both realms. Thus, few good books exist in this domain. Unfortunately, many engineers…

Management-Business Software-Technology

The Software Hiring Handbook: The Software Developer’s Guide to Conducting a Job Interview

By Scott J. Pearson | March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

As Michael Kahn states in this book’s introduction, there exist many guides to giving interviews generally along with guides to being interviewed about software development, but there are few guides to giving interviews specifically to developers. This 2006 book tries to fill that niche. It is short and certainly not comprehensive – as if that were even possible. But it advances wisdom that people like me need in finding a software developer, especially for the…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools & Insights for Managing Software People & Teams

By Scott J. Pearson | September 25, 2023September 25, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Many books on managing software development focus on small subsets of the management process. For example, many books on agile fill bookstores; others propose a well-studied answer to a particular problem; still others provide anecdotes and inspiration to often-overtaxed managers. This book fits into none of those categories. Instead, it seeks to provide a comprehensive treatment on how to manage software development by managing individuals instead of processes. This modern approach fits more in line…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Building Great Software Engineering Teams: Recruiting, Hiring & Managing Your Team from Startup to Success

By Scott J. Pearson | August 3, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Building excellent software is an intricate task that requires a great deal of technical expertise. Managing people who build software is also an intricate task, but the required skillset is different. A manager has to be a good enough developer to be respected, but she/he must also have “soft skills” to finesse interpersonal situations. Instead of a technical challenge, management becomes a way of life and leading. With a particular focus on software engineering, Josh…

Indie Software-Technology

Software Quality Assurance 101: Best Practices Made Easy

By Scott J. Pearson | July 25, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Quality assurance (QA) is an essential part of software development. It helps ensure that newly developed software actually does what it’s intended to. This seems like a deceptively easy task at first, but testing is, in truth, a skilled art-form. In this book, Rachelle Rood and Jessica Parker attempt to orient those just entering the field how to approach their work. They break down complex topics while pointing practitioners how to add value to software…

Management-Business Software-Technology

World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs

By Scott J. Pearson | July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In the years following this 2009 book, the central place of information technology (IT) in the business world has only become recognized more and more. The COVID pandemic accelerated trends whereby IT plays a critical role in global business culture. Peter High’s book fixed the paradigm for how successful IT might be leveraged for business success. Almost 15 years later, the question then becomes: Is it still relevant? Yes, I argue. This classic helps us…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing & Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

By Scott J. Pearson | July 14, 2023July 14, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Most technology products begin with technologists playing in their environments. They then pick up steam when early visionaries figure out how to use it to expand their individual platforms and gain a competitive edge. However, many, if not most, products die there and never find their way to mainstream use. In this classic book, Geoffrey Moore explains why. The motives that drive these first two groups are different than the motives of mainstream customers, whom…

Presentation Software-Technology

Universal Principles of UX: 100 Timeless Strategies to Create Positive Interactions between People & Technology

By Scott J. Pearson | March 7, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

UX is shorthand in the software industry for “user experience.” It’s often used in conjunction with UI, or “user interface.” In the world of the web, good user interfaces and user experiences can lead to successful, profitable websites – regardless of their function. Likewise, bad UIUX almost always leads to a website’s failure. Thus, specialists are often paid well to design and implement these aspects with skill. But in a world of ever-changing designs, how…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Agile Essentials: You Always Wanted to Know

By Scott J. Pearson | May 23, 2021May 23, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

I’ve worked as a software developer in Agile environments since around 2014 and have enjoyed the productivity and quality gains that this paradigm provides. This workplace loosely implements Agile and accomplishes amazing feats of productivity. In this book, Ashar distills Agile concepts into easy-to-read chunks that can be quickly implemented. This book empowers managers to organize their team’s work more effectively so that customers can benefit more readily. Ashar begins this guide by stating that…