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Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams
- By Mickey W. Mantle, Ron Lichty
- Published Sep 16, 2012 by Addison-Wesley Professional.
Book
- Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
Description
- Copyright 2013
- Dimensions: 7" x 9-1/8"
- Pages: 464
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-321-82203-X
- ISBN-13: 978-0-321-82203-1
“Mantle and Lichty have assembled a guide that will help you hire, motivate, and mentor a software development team that functions at the highest level. Their rules of thumb and coaching advice are great blueprints for new and experienced software engineering managers alike.”
—Tom Conrad, CTO, Pandora
“I wish I’d had this material available years ago. I see lots and lots of ‘meat’ in here that I’ll use over and over again as I try to become a better manager. The writing style is right on, and I love the personal anecdotes.”
—Steve Johnson, VP, Custom Solutions, DigitalFish
All too often, software development is deemed unmanageable. The news is filled with stories of projects that have run catastrophically over schedule and budget. Although adding some formal discipline to the development process has improved the situation, it has by no means solved the problem. How can it be, with so much time and money spent to get software development under control, that it remains so unmanageable?
In Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams, Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty answer that persistent question with a simple observation: You first must make programmers and software teams manageable. That is, you need to begin by understanding your people—how to hire them, motivate them, and lead them to develop and deliver great products. Drawing on their combined seventy years of software development and management experience, and highlighting the insights and wisdom of other successful managers, Mantle and Lichty provide the guidance you need to manage people and teams in order to deliver software successfully.
Whether you are new to software management, or have already been working in that role, you will appreciate the real-world knowledge and practical tools packed into this guide.
Extras
Related Articles
Lessons in Software Project Management from Healthcare.gov
Managing the Unmanageable: An Interview with Mickey Mantle and Ron Lichty on Managing Programmers
Author's Site
Author suggested sites: managingtheunmanageable.net and www.ronlichty.com
Please visit the authors' site at www.mmantle.com
Sample Content
Sample Pages
Table of Contents
Preface xxi
About the Authors xxvii
Chapter 1: Why Programmers Seem Unmanageable 1
What Do Programmers Do? 3
Why Is Becoming a Successful Programming Manager Hard? 7
Chapter 2: Understanding Programmers 9
Programming Disciplines 10
Types of Programmers 13
Domain Expertise 16
Programmer Job Requirements and Abilities 17
Proximity and Relationship 20
Generational Styles 25
Personality Styles 27
Summary 33
Tools 34
Chapter 3: Finding and Hiring Great Programmers 35
Determining What Kind of Programmer to Hire 37
Writing the Job Description 39
Selling the Hire 45
Recruiting Full-Time Employees (FTEs) 46
Recruiting Contractors 56
Reviewing Résumés 57
Narrowing the Field 59
Preparing to Interview 60
Interviewing 67
Making the Decision to Hire a Programmer 72
Making the Right Offer to a Programmer 76
Follow Up Until the Programmer Accepts 82
Summary 83
Tools 83
Chapter 4: Getting New Programmers Started Off Right 84
Get Them on Board Early 85
Preparing for Their Arrival 86
First-Day Musts 87
Introductions 91
Ensuring Success 92
Initial Expectations 95
Summary 98
Tools 98
Chapter 5: Becoming an Effective Programming Manager: Managing Down 99
Earning Technical Respect 100
Hire Great Programmers 105
Turbocharge the Team You Have 105
Managing Different Types of Programmers 106
Facilitation 111
Protection 111
Judging and Improving Performance 113
Organizational Thinking 123
Deliver Results and Celebrate Success 141
Summary 142
Tools 142
RULES OF THUMB AND NUGGETS OF WISDOM 143
The Challenges of Managing 147
Managing People 173
Managing Teams to Deliver Successfully 203
Chapter 6: Becoming an Effective Programming Manager: Managing Up, Out, and Yourself 227
Managing Up 228
Managing Out 234
Managing Yourself 250
Summary 268
Tools 268
Chapter 7: Motivating Programmers 269
Motivational Theories 269
Motivational Factors as Applied to