Ian Spence – författare

The Practical, Start-to-Finish Guide to Planning and Leading Iterative Software Projects

 

Iterative processes have gained widespread acceptance because they help software developers reduce risk and cost, manage change, improve productivity, and deliver more effective, timely solutions. But conventional project management techniques don’t work well in iterative projects, and newer iterative management techniques have been poorly documented. Managing Iterative Software Development Projects is the solution: a relentlessly practical guide to planning, organizing, estimating, staffing, and managing any iterative project, from start to finish. 

 

Leading iterative development experts Kurt Bittner and Ian Spence introduce a proven, scalable approach that improves both agility and control at the same time, satisfying the needs of developers, managers, and the business alike. Their techniques are easy to understand, and easy to use with any iterative methodology, from Rational Unified Process to Extreme Programming to the Microsoft Solutions Framework.

 

Whatever your role–team leader, program manager, project manager, developer, sponsor, or user representative–this book will help you

 

Understand the key drivers of success in iterative projects Leverage “time boxing” to define project lifecycles and measure results Use Unified Process phases to facilitate controlled iterative development Master core concepts of iterative project management, including layering and evolution Create project roadmaps, including release plans Discover key patterns of risk management, estimation, organization, and iteration planning Understand what must be controlled centrally, and what you can safely delegate Transition smoothly to iterative processes Scale iterative project management from the smallest to the largest projects Align software investments with the needs of the business

 

Whether you are interested in software development using RUP, OpenUP, or other agile processes, this book will help you reduce the anxiety and cost associated with software improvement by providing an easy, non-intrusive path toward improved results–without overwhelming you and your team.

 

SEMAT (Software Engineering Methods and Theory) is an international initiative designed to

identify a common ground, or universal standard, for software engineering. It is supported by

some of the most distinguished contributors to the field. Creating a simple language to describe

methods and practices, the SEMAT team expresses this common ground as a kernel–or

framework–of elements essential to all software development.

 

The Essence of Software Engineering introduces this kernel and shows how to apply it when

developing software and improving a team’s way of working. It is a book for software professionals,

not methodologists. Its usefulness to development team members, who need to evaluate and

choose the best practices for their work, goes well beyond the description or application of

any single method.

 

 

“Software is both a craft and a science, both a work of passion and a work of principle.

Writing good software requires both wild flights of imagination and creativity, as well as the hard

reality of engineering tradeoffs. This book is an attempt at describing that balance.”

—Robert Martin (unclebob)

“The work of Ivar Jacobson and his colleagues, started as part of the SEMAT initiative,

has taken a systematic approach to identifying a ‘kernel’ of software engineering principles and

practices that have stood the test of time and recognition.”

—Bertrand Meyer

“The software development industry needs and demands a core kernel and language for defining

software development practices—practices that can be mixed and matched, brought on board from

other organizations; practices that can be measured; practices that can be integrated; and practices

that can be compared and contrasted for speed, quality, and price. This thoughtful book gives a

good grounding in ways to think about the problem, and a language to address the need,

and every software engineer should read it.”

—Richard Soley

Create a luscious garden that will flourish all year round with this new edition of a best-selling guide to gardening month by month.Gardening can seem like a mystery when you're new to it. In this fail-safe guide, BBC Gardeners' World writer Ian Spence tells us what to plant, prune, cut, and cover - and exactly when to do it. Organised by month, this book breaks down complex information into 'things to do', 'last chance' reminders, and 'get ahead' tasks, before recommending seasonal plants that will bring colour to your plot, all while keeping one eye to the skies with a monthly 'weather watch' panel, and offering step-by-step instructions for new projects. Learn how to care for flowers, trees, fruits, and vegetables, and maintain features such as ponds, willow fences, containers, bird boxes, and more. Pick up skills such as saving seeds, cutting and drying flowers, conserving water, weeding wisely, potting herbs, and gathering your harvest. Then, plan ahead for next year using the detailed directory of 350 plants.New gardeners will stay one step ahead with this essential companion to gardening through the seasons.