Inside Dorset House

Housekeeping: New Street Address, Sept. 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:40:00 +0000

We're movin' on up! After almost 25 years in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, Dorset House is Broadway bound.

Effective Sept. 4, 2008, our new office will be located just north of Columbia University:

Dorset House Publishing
3143 Broadway, Suite 2B
New York, NY 10027

This move only changes our street address. Our phone, fax, e-mail, and Web contacts will remain the same -- so keep those orders and inquiries coming in!

Tel: (212) 620-4053 / (800) DH-BOOKS
Fax: (212) 727-1044
E-mail: info AT dorsethouse DOT com / dorsethouse AT gmail DOT com
Web: http://www.dorsethouse.com

Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions -- or tips about our new neighborhood, Morningside Heights. In the meantime, maybe we'll see you at Tom's Restaurant, the diner featured in Seinfeld.

Rothman on Agile Hiring, at Agile 2008 [Shiell]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:09:00 +0000

James Shiell recently blogged about Johanna Rothman's presentation "Hiring for an Agile Team" at Agile 2008, August 5:

"She differentiated hiring for a traditional team by stating that differences between people are more pronounced in agile teams, as successful teams tend to be more collaborative, cross-functional and indulge in intense focus while blurring traditional team roles. . . .

"She therefore focuses on the people side of hiring - as she said, the technical side has been done to death. However, unlike the titans of the industry such as Google and Microsoft she actively discouraged riddles and other abstract approaches. Instead, she proposed the use of two primary methods: auditions and behaviour description questions. "

Read the full article on Infernus.org:
http://infernus.org/node/264

Read more about Johanna's Dorset House title Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/hire.html

DeMarco on the Fourth Pillar [Computerworld]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Building on his new book Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, Tom DeMarco published a piece in Computerworld:

"Consider the assertion that the performance of your organization stands on four pillars: proficiency, velocity, agility and corporate culture. ...

"All of these are important, but the great body of management literature, standards and training materials is focused only on the first. ... So a great tome about proficiency might end with the observation, 'All the stuff I've been writing about has to be done quickly, of course, and you may need to switch gears along the way. Oh, and by the way, if your corporate culture won't allow change, you're screwed.'"

Read the full article on Computerworld.com:
June 23, 2008: "Does your corporate culture reward adrenaline junkies and template zombies? A new book looks at the effects of projects' hidden rules."

Download sample chapters from Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Computing Reviews: Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Andrew R. Huber reviewed the new book by Tom DeMarco and his partners -- Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies -- in Computing Reviews, a publication of the ACM:

". . . a quick and entertaining read, with the underlying purpose of improving projects. Anyone who has worked or will work on just about any kind of project will find it useful and insightful. If you can’t always emulate the good patterns and avoid the bad, at least you can see if you are in good -- or bad -- company."

Read the full review on the ACM's computingreviews.com:
http://www.computingreviews.com/review/review_review.cfm?review_id=135631&listname=highlight

Read more about Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Jerry Weinberg on Perfect Software [AgileThinkers.com]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Clark Ching of AgileThinkers.com recently interviewed Jerry Weinberg about the concepts behind his new book, Perfect Software: And Other Illusions About Testing. Jerry comments,

"Perfect software is indeed impossible, and even if we had it, we'd have no way of knowing. The Laws of Thermodynamics tell us why it's impossible, but that doesn't prevent lots of people from believing it's possible -- just like many people believe perpetual motion machines are possible.

"The book elaborates on this and many other illusions about testing -- why people continue to believe them, what kinds of trouble they cause, and what can be done to mitigate that trouble."

Read the interview, two posts on AgileThinkers.com:
http://www.agilethinkers.com/2008/07/jerry-weinberg.html
and http://www.agilethinkers.com/2008/07/jerry-weinber-1.html

Read more about Perfect Software: And Other Illusions About Testing:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/perf.html

Ambler on Adrenaline Junkies [DDJ.com]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Scott Ambler reviewed the new book by Tom DeMarco and his partners -- Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies -- in Dr. Dobb's Agile Newsletter:

"In January I attended a keynote speech given by Tim Lister and Peter Hruschka, two of the authors of Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior, where they overviewed a dozen of the 86 behavioral patterns which they'd written about in this book. About 10 minutes into their speech I decided that this was a 'must read' book that I had to have. Sure enough, having now read the book cover-to-cover I can safely confirm that my initial reaction was correct. More importantly, my intuition now tells me that this is one of my 'must keep' books which I'll refer to over and over again in the years to come.

". . . Anyone serious about their IT career will find this book to be a valuable investment."

Read the full article on www.ddj.com:
http://www.ddj.com/architect/208800147?cid=Ambysoft

Read more about Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Toronto, July 17: Weinberg's New Day at CAST 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:16:00 +0000

CNBC.com recently reported that demand for Jerry Weinberg's sold-out tutorial has prompted CAST 2008 to offer it on July 17:

"The Association for Software Testing announced Monday an update to its traditional 3-day conference program -- a fourth day.

"The decision came from conference organizers on Monday because of demand for Jerry Weinberg's Monday, July 14 tutorial titled 'The Tester's Communication Clinic,' which sold out last week. Weinberg has agreed to host the tutorial again on Thursday, July 17.

"Weinberg, who many consider the software testing industry's first tester, has a 50-year track record of influencing the craft of exposing bugs and issues in software. Among his notable accomplishments was establishing the first separate software testing group, aiding in producing life-critical software for Project Mercury."

Read the full article on CNBC.com:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25091786/

Register for CAST 2008 (July 14-17, Toronto) and visit the Dorset House conference bookstore:
http://www.cast2008.org

Read about Jerry's forthcoming Dorset House title:
Perfect Software: And Other Illusions About Testing
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/perf.html

Weinberg in Toronto, July 15 [CAST 2008]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:52:00 +0000

On July 15, in Toronto, Gerald M. Weinberg will keynote at the 2008 CAST Conference, sponsored by the Association for Software Testing. The conference runs from July 14 to 16.

The keynote, "Lessons from the Past to Carry into the Future," will review progress toward creating a true software testing profession.

As Dorset House readers know, Jerry speaks from the unique perspective of having established the very first separate software testing group -- in 1958, 50 years ago -- to aid in producing life-critical software for Project Mercury.

Dorset House will exhibit at the conference in support of Jerry's forthcoming book on testing, Perfect Software -- And Other Illusions About Testing.

(Order early to save 20% -- visit
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/perf.html.)

Read more about CAST 2008: http://www.cast2008.org.

Dead Fish: Excerpt from Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Visit our Excerpts section to read Dead Fish, a sample "pattern of project behavior" from Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, the brand-new book by Peopleware authors Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister plus a dream team of coauthors: Peter Hruschka, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson. Copyright © 2008. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Dead Fish: From Day One, the project has no chance of meeting its goals; most people on the project know this and say nothing.

The goals of many IT projects can be summarized simply: We need this set of functionality, with this accuracy, with reasonable robustness, by this calendar date. The team is assembled, and the statements of goals and constraints are worked into detailed requirements and designs; and they're published.

The big secret is that nobody on the project believes that the project can be an outright success. Usually, the deadline is not attainable with the other goals unchanged. Mysteriously, no one declares that there is a big, stinking, dead fish of failure already smelling up the project.

As the Greek tragedy plays out, the project will slog on. Then, typically a few weeks before expected delivery, each project member, project manager, manager of a project manager, and anybody standing remotely near the project, will either
declare shock, dismay, and amazement that the project is nowhere near where it needs to be for the upcoming release

or,

lay low and say absolutely nothing about anything unless asked

Why do so many people in so many organizations spray reality deodorant rather than simply state, "No way this project is happening the way we want. The dead fish is here."

Read the rest at
http://www.dorsethouse.com/features/excerpts/exajtzch3.html

Read more about Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Vaughan on Just Enough Requirements Management

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:51:00 +0000

Jack Vaughan recently reviewed Just Enough Requirements Management on SearchSoftwareQuality.com:

"With this book, Davis strikes straight at the heart of the problem of eliciting requirements: creating software that works for people. . . .

"Davis as a master critic of software processes provides a look at how much planning is enough when it comes to requirements, which is just the question people are asking these days as Agile processes vie with Waterfall methods. . . .

"'Just enough' is the mantra. Moreover, Davis deftly dissects the dark side of endlessly added requirements. . . .

". . . it is all about bridging the gap between software development and business users' objectives. After all, that is the essence of requirements elicitation in the business enterprise. In Davis' hands that seems to be not just a worthwhile purpose, but also an achievable goal."

Read the full review on SearchSoftwareQuality.com:
http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid92_gci1312971,00.html

Read more about Alan M. Davis' Dorset House title
Just Enough Requirements Management:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/jerm.html

From The Aremac Project to Systems Thinking [Vesterberg.se]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Anders Vesterberg recently blogged about two of Jerry Weinberg's books, a sci-fi techno-thriller and a silver-anniversary classic text: The Aremac Project and An Introduction to General Systems Thinking:

"[The Aremac Project] was well-written and exciting with all the details interestingly and correctly described. . . . I sensed [Weinberg] was a good writer with depth and I wanted to read more. . . . this lead me to An Introduction to General Systems Thinking. . . .

“Weinberg uses clear writing and basic algebraic principles to explore new approaches to projects, products, organizations, and all kinds of systems. He unravels the scientific definition of systems and the assumptions and simplifications made. . . . The book requires some concentration and energy to read, but is indeed food for thought. To me, systems thinking really improves my thinking as a project manager, application developer, general problems solver and as someone who cares for the environmental issues and people around me."

Read the full blog post on Vesterberg.se:
http://www.vesterberg.se/2008/03/24/weinberg-on-systems-thinking/
Read more about The Aremac Project:
http://www.littlewestpress.com
Read more about An Introduction to General Systems Thinking:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/gst.html

Forthcoming from Jerry Weinberg: Perfect Software -- And Other Illusions About Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Gerald M. Weinberg's forthcoming Dorset House title,
Perfect Software -- And Other Illusions About Testing,
sets out to disprove destructive notions about testing and testers.

Everyone has a role to play in software testing -- even
people outside a project team. Testers, developers,
managers, customers, and users shape the process and
results of testing, often unwittingly. Rather than continue
to generate stacks of documents and fuel animosity, testers
can cultivate rich opportunities and relationships by
integrating an effective testing mentality into any process.

We test because people are not perfect, and simply testing
"more" does not guarantee better quality. This book guides
test strategy development that's scalable for any project.

Order before July 1, 2008, to save 20% -- just $19.16
plus shipping, with no charge until the books ship. Call (800)
342-6657 or visit http://www.dorsethouse.com/savings.html#perf.

Read more about PERFECT SOFTWARE:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/perf.html

Customers on Adrenaline Junkies [Amazon.com]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Check out the customer reviews of ADRENALINE JUNKIES
AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES on Amazon.com. There's a even a
nice discount (right now) -- visit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932633676

"Reading this book will 'vaccinate' you against the negative
project behaviors it describes, so that they can be
recognized and dealt with before they cause project
failures."
--Mark Wallace, posted on Amazon.com

"Many books that relate to technical or managerial subjects
are difficult to read -- a lot of stuff you don't care about, and
the occasional nugget. ADRENALINE JUNKIES is a book of
nuggets. Each chapter is a nugget or 'pattern,' including a
phrase, a picture, a sentence and a couple of pages of
descriptive text."
--Robert Newbold, posted on Amazon.com

"God, what a great read! Serious topics, but plenty of humor
to take the edge off. As usual, this team of folks have got
it right. For everyone in the software development arena,
this is a must read!"
--Erlo Banfield, posted on Amazon.com

Read sample chapters and more reviews:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Ashbacher on ADRENALINE JUNKIES [Journal of Object Technology]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Charles Ashbacher recently reviewed the new Dorset House
title ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:

"Unless you have been blessed to a level that no one to
my knowledge has ever been or you have never worked,
then there will be patterns in this book that will cause your
head to nod in agreement. Using colorful language on
occasion and consistent blunt talk, the authors tell it
straight, providing advice that pulls the facade off of some
of the common notions of what makes a project work. . . .

Read the full review in the Journal of Object Technology:
http://www.jot.fm/books/review20/index.html

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Phillips on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Dwayne Phillips recently reviewed ADRENALINE JUNKIES
AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES, the new book by Atlantic
Systems Guild consultants Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka,
Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne
Robertson:

"I love this book. It is as though the authors were spying on
my office for the past 20 years. . . . Flip through this book.
Find a pattern -- either good or bad -- that fits your current
project, bring the book to work and show people that your
workplace is not unique, that others have done the same
before, and what the result will probably be if you don't
change."

Read the full review on Dwayne's Website:
http://dwaynephillips.net/AJTZ.html

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Read more about Dwayne's forthcoming Dorset House title:
WORKING UP TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
HOW CRUSHING ROCKS AT THE ASPHALT PLANT
PREPARED ME FOR GOVERNMENT WORK
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/wup.html

Tom DeMarco on YouTube: Adrenaline Junkies

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Check out Tom DeMarco's video on YouTube; he discusses the ideas behind his new book, Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, coauthored with his consulting partners Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson:

Click the image or visit YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YHREsyKK5Nw
Read more about Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, download PDF chapters, find reviews by Joel Spolsky, Alistair Cockburn, Ed Yourdon, and others:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Tom DeMarco et al. on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin,
James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson -- the authors of our
new book ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES
-- have posted comments on the Website of their consulting firm,
The Atlantic Systems Guild:

"The so-called 'patterns movement,' has so far concentrated
entirely on patterns of the software itself. But there is another
set of patterns that we need to take account of as well: patterns
of projects and teams, the typical ways that they behave and
interact. Just as Gamma et al. deal with the technological aspect
of patterns, the Guild authors have focused on the sociological
side. If you believe, as we do, that the sociological is often as
important or even more important than the technological, then
this book may be for you. . . .

"The book identifies 86 patterns that characterize project and
team behavior. All of the patterns don't apply to your project,
but some surely will. Some of the patterns are constructive
they help you get meaningful work done. And other are
destructive they get in your way. Like many of the patterns that
control our behavior as individuals, project behavior patterns are
often invisible. They are the unwritten rules that govern us. We
don't think about them, but we don't think to violate them either.
(Are you skeptical about the existence of such unwritten rules?
Consider then walking up to a team mate and touching his face.) . . .

"Each pattern is named (the authors have tried to choose a name
that is memorable but also fairly accurate) and numbered. There is
an iconic graphic to go with it, something to facilitate quick
association. And there is a short essay about the pattern to offer
advice about why some projects tend to fall into its particular
groove, why they need to be aware of it, and what actions may
be prescribed."

Read the authors' comments at
http://www.systemsguild.com/GuildSite/Books/ajtz.html

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

. . . both pages link to a free PDF preview of the book . . .

DevSource.com on OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:12:00 +0000

Author and technical editor John Mueller recently posted a
review on DevSource.com of Conrad Weisert's book
OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION IN C++ AND JAVA:

"Most of the programming books I've read tend to gloss
over the numbers. . . . If you've found yourself wondering
how to make the math work, this is a great book to get.
Instead of giving you a couple simple math examples that
don't reflect the real world, you'll find yourself working with
code that fully demonstrates practical math techniques.
". . . The author does warn you that this book is intended
for experienced programmers and I must admit that he
challenged some of my programming skills later in the book.
. . . The book is well organized and relatively easy to read,
but the author also doesn't candy-coat the complexity of the
topic. You'll find that you learn quite a lot. . . ."

Read the full review on DevSource.com:
http://www.devsource.com/c/a/Languages/Review-ObjectOriented-Computation-in-
C-and-Java/

Read more about Conrad Weisert's Dorset House title
OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION IN C++ AND JAVA:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ooc.html

Joel on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Joel Spolsky reviewed ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE
ZOMBIES, the new book by Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka,
Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne
Robertson:

"Another masterpiece from the folks who brought you
Peopleware. Anyone who has survived a software project or
two will surely recognize many of these patterns and will be
able to learn from most of them. Adrenaline Junkies and
Template Zombies is a real joy."
--Joel Spolsky, author of JOEL ON SOFTWARE

Read Joel on Software:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com

Read about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html
You can download a PDF preview there.

Yourdon on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:36:00 +0000

In the Yourdon Report, Ed Yourdon reviewed ADRENALINE
JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES, the new book by Tom
DeMarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin,
James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson:

". . . utterly delightful . . . These 'patterns' are grimly familiar
to anyone who has worked in project-related organizations;
and unfortunately, they can be found in small companies as
well as large ones. Fortunately, some of the patterns ('Rattle
Yer Dags' and 'Nanny,' for example) are good ones, and should
be encouraged. Sadly, though, far too many of them ('Dead
Fish,' 'Project-Speak') are not only depressingly familiar, but
astonishingly destructive to productivity, quality, and the
morale of the project team. . . .

"I really love this book, not the least because each pattern
can be read and understood in a moment or two, since they
take only 2-3 pages to explain. The real trick, I think, will be
getting people to be brave enough to call them out when
they are seen. Here's a prediction: if you can encourage a
few brave souls to shout "J'accuse!" whenever they see one
of these patterns occurring in your organization, you'll soon
be able to remove all those Dilbert cartoons from the office
bulletin board. If ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE
ZOMBIES gets the attention it deserves, Scott Adams may
have to return to Corporate America and get an honest job
as a project manager."

Read the full article in The Yourdon Report:
http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2008/01/19/adrenalin-junkies-and-temp
late-zombies/

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

In Memoriam: Rodger D. Drabick

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:44:00 +0000

With great sadness, we report the passing of Rodger D.
Drabick on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Consultant, author,
and noted expert on quality engineering and systems testing,
Rodger worked for 30 years at Eastman Kodak; most
recently, he served as a software quality assurance engineer
at Lockheed Martin. He wrote Best Practices for the Formal
Software Testing Process, published by Dorset House in 2004.

Dorset House authors -- including Karl Wiegers, Randy
Rice, and Norm Kerth -- are sharing their memories of Rodger.
Visit http://www.dorsethouse.com/authors/drabick.html#tributes
Following are comments from William E. Perry:

"Rodger was a long-time friend dating back to when we both
worked for the Eastman Kodak Company. He was a giant in the
field of software testing, starting from the days when we tested
without a plan, and from those early days, he helped develop
software testing into a respected career. We will miss you,
Rodger."
--Bill Perry, coauthor of Surviving the Top Ten Challenges of
Software Testing

Rodger is survived by his wife, Karen, his mother, two daughters,
three grandchildren, and his four siblings. An obituary is posted
here: http://www.mountvernonnews.com/notices/12/11/03.html

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 120 Wall St., 19th Floor, New York,
NY 10005: https://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm

We opened a forum discussion about Rodger -- please join in:
http://dorsethouse.com/rc/viewtopic.php
c&highlight=

Asimov's Reviews Weinberg's Novel, The Aremac Project

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Peter Heck, in the March 2008 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction,
reviewed Jerry Weinberg's techno-thriller, THE AREMAC PROJECT:

"This one's a bit of a sleeper, a near-future thriller built around
neuroscience and nanotech by one of the giants of the IT
revolution. . . . he has plenty of ideas, and a way of making them
convincing. He has a likeable pair of protagonists, a supporting
cast that manages to avoid stereotyping, and he contrives to
keep a few plot surprises up his sleeve. . . . Probably the closest
comparisons among established SF writers would be Robert
Forward and James P. Hogan. If that's your kind of reading fare,
I suggest you give Weinberg a try."

Read the full review in Asimov's Science Fiction:
http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0803/onbooks.shtml

Read more about THE AREMAC PROJECT:
http://www.littlewestpress.com
and download a PDF Preview of the first five chapers

Muness Alrubaie: Weinberg Gets Down to the Problem at AYE

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Muness Alrubaie recently blogged about his experience at
the Amplifying Your Effectiveness conference (Nov. 2007),
hosted by Jerry Weinberg and others. Muness highlights
Jerry's process of problem analysis:

"At AYE 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry in
person. Something that I was not aware of was his
remarkable skill at helping others. Instead of answering a
request for advice directly, he'd delve into the details,
applying something like the 5 Whys. Within minutes, he
would hone in on a rule that the person had imposed on
themselves that was at the root of the problem. After
expressing the problematic rule, he'd help them relax the
rule into guidelines. Several people who've spent more time
with him have echoed my gut feel that they too found this
ability to help others rare and invaluable."

Read the full post on Mundane Essays:
http://muness.blogspot.com/2008/01/managers-and-rules.html

Read more about Jerry Weinberg:
http://www.jerryweinberg.com

Ambiguity in Exploring Requirements [The Braidy Tester]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:38:00 +0000

Michael Hunter recently blogged about the ambiguities of a
municipal parking sign in his neighborhood. Borrowing from
Don Gause and Jerry Weinberg's book EXPLORING
REQUIREMENTS, Hunter investigates how brainstorming
multiple interpretations of the sign's wording, or "code," can
help testers explore assumptions and identify problem
areas in software:

"If you are interested in learning more about the grief
ambiguity can cause as well as strategies for reducing
ambiguity, pick up the excellent Exploring Requirements,
which Jerry cowrote with Don Gause. It will be worth your
while!"

Read the full post on The Braidy Tester:
http://blogs.msdn.com/micahel/archive/2008/01/23/ZoningForTheHolarcticRegion.aspx

Read more about EXPLORING REQUIREMENTS:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/er.html

Peopleware Review [PMToolbox]

noreply@blogger.com (Dorset House Publishing) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:32:00 +0000

PMToolbox recently reviewed Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister's
classic PEOPLEWARE:

"This strikingly clear, direct book is written for
software development-team leaders and managers, but it's
filled with enough commonsense wisdom to appeal to
anyone working in technology. Authors Tom DeMarco and
Timothy Lister include plenty of illustrative, often amusing
anecdotes; their writing is light, conversational, and filled
with equal portions of humor and wisdom, and there is a
refreshing absence of 'new age' terms and multistep
programs. The advice is presented straightforwardly and
ranges from simple issues of prioritization to complex ways
of engendering harmony and productivity in your team.
Peopleware is a short read that delivers more than many
books on the subject twice its size."

Read the full review on PMToolbox.com:
http://www.pmtoolbox.com/peopleware-productive-projects-and-teams

Read more about PEOPLEWARE:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/pw.html