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An old book about Microsoft's development process.
What a great read.
Wow.. what a fantastic read.
First, don't let the date (1994) be a bother. This book speaks of universals: Time management, people skills, psychology, structure, procedures and much more. It's a book about making effective use of people and identifying and effectively solving problems.
My first impression is with the style which the book presents its material. This is another excellent example of a very well laid out book. This book is easily read section by section, and there are excellent examples and topical asides for every point being discussed.
The chapters don't tie together so heavily that it needs to be read all in one sitting, for fear of losing earlier points. Although later chapters do build on the logic and lessons of earlier chapters, lessons are re-stated clearly and politely. Of note, I found the author's use of examples to be really valuable for my short attention-span.
The language in the book is accessible, and I found it trivial to follow every point. I particularly enjoyed the friendly and down to earth tone in the writing.
Some general comments about the content: There was discussion on things like the value of meetings, personal time-management, different types of bosses, the value and hindrances of long-term planning, deadlines and more. The lesson that stuck the best was to identify the root cause of a problem and work directly with that instead of throwing additional resources at a problem.
Interestingly, I'm able to flip to almost any page and get a section title, a summary or an interesting story. The layout really is spectacular. This is a book I could re-read in random pieces.
ported, date estimated
Boy this book must have influenced me over the years.