Review: Specification by Example: How Successful Teams Deliver the Right Software

Specification by Example: How Successful Teams Deliver the Right Software by Gojko Adzic

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A book on how to create and deliver software which is (a) quality; (b) what is needed; (c) not more than needed. One way to achieve that is needs and requirements specification together with clients. In addition, using different examples illustrating what software is supposed to do.

Capturing needs, not scripts - that is probably one of the most important messages from the book.

All in all, there are very good ideas and practices presented (many of them are still ahead of their time), albeit in somewhat preaching mode. Sometimes, the book becomes repetitive - and quotes from different teams often do not add additional value. I would also like to have read more concrete examples - on both requirements as well as the programming code itself. Otherwise, recommended to software analysts, developers and IT managers interested in (improving) software quality.

Triangle of choice in software development

Yesterday I had a chance to listen live to the true legends of lean software development principles who visited Tallinn: Mary and Tom Poppendieck

One of the main things I remember from this 2-hours long presentation:

An ordinary triangle of choice (a client has to give up one of them - can't get all three at the same time):

Time-Money-Quality

...should rather be thought of as:

                               Time-Money-Scope

...because there is anyway so much waste in software development.

And scope cannot be given up without having trust between vendor and client.

Wise thoughts.

Review: Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems

Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems by Steve Krug

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short and effective, well-written and well-designed book about the Web site usability testing.
Main points of this book were covered in Krug's first book ("Don't Make Me Think"), but "Rocket Surgery Made Easy" goes more in details. Sometimes, the details become rather trivial.
All in all, an easy reading with several relevant recommendations, but it is probably enough reading only the first of the two books.

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Review: Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A concise and sharp book on Web usability. Relevant examples and illustrations, great design of the book and a nice dose of wit - sure ingredients for an enjoyable reading. It is well written and easily read - the reader does not have to have any technical competence to grasp the meaning.

Recommended to anyone having to do with Web sites design and development - either developers, designers or managers

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3 months in Tallinn

Today, exactly three months ago, me and my wife moved to Tallinn, Estonia. After five years abroad I am back to Estonia. Tallinn has been somewhat alien city for me before, but I start liking it more now. I have discovered some great sides of it that I did not know about before - along with some other parts that I appreciated in the past and which I love even more now (read: Old Town, seaside, parks).

Somewhat surprisingly, I don't find life in Tallinn anyhow inferior to Oslo. I will perhaps write more about it some time in the future, when I will have lived more long-term here.

What I can say for sure - professionally - it is definitely more interesting to work in Estonia than in Norway (for me personally - can't say for anyone else): more opportunities to do something meaningful, more entrepreneurial attitude of people, better access to bigger responsibilities, more flexibility.

As for my personal passion - bicycle - the opportunities for riding the bike in the city are on roughly the same level in Tallinn as in Oslo (which means: so-so, but not too bad either). Good enough for me ;)

Me in Tallinn on my new bicycle (disclaimer: the picture was taken in September and the weather is not always as good as that day) :)

Review: Writing Effective Use Cases

Writing Effective Use Cases by Alistair Cockburn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book describes the methodology of putting the software requirements in written through the use cases. Very systematic and logical approach, clear and easy to understand guidelines for writing, quite good examples.

Sometimes, the methodology as a whole feels too dogmatic and sets quite strict limits. I did not find suggestions for schematic icons too useful either. Besides, the methodology feels a little bit outdated in 2012 (the book was written in 2001).

Overall, recommended to software analysts and software team leads - along with some newer books on the software requirements methodology.

Review: Kanban and Scrum - Making the Most of Both

Kanban and Scrum - Making the Most of Both by Henrik Kniberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A concise and easy to read guide on some of the "hottest" Agile methods for software development these days. The book provides useful guidelines on how to improve the software development practices on a team/organisational level. I found the case study presented in the second part to be somewhat long-winded - and would prefer more different examples instead. Otherwise, recommended to anyone working in IT sector on middle-management level (and all other levels too).

Review: Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been written by two IT managers/consultants whose main point is that people matter more than technology. People often allure themselves that they are in the high-tec business and that their primary objective is managing technology. In reality, the authors argue, an exceptional IT manager is dealing, first and foremost, with people management: their working environment, channelling their creativity, bolstering their sense of ownership in relation to the IT product they work with, supporting the strong team feeling, not wasting people's time...

Many of the book's theses are no brain teasers and are rather obvious for people with the intensive team management experience. However, the book as a whole is well substantiated, has many relevant examples and - last but least - has a good portion of wit.