Software Craftsmanship

As the demand for software has exploded, the software engineering establishment has attempted to adapt to the changing times with short training programs that teach the syntax of coding languages. But writing code is no longer the hard part of development; the hard part is figuring out what to write. This kind of know-how demands a skilled craftsman, not someone who knows only how to pass a certification course.

Software Craftsmanship presents an alternative—a craft model that focuses on the people involved in commercial software development. This book illustrates that it is imperative to turn from the technology-for-its-own-sake model to one that is grounded in delivering value to customers. The author, Pete McBreen, presents a method to nurture mastery in the programmer, develop creative collaboration in small developer teams, and enhance communications with the customer. The end result—skilled developers who can create, extend, and enhance robust applications.

This book addresses the following topics, among others:

• Understanding customer requirements
• Identifying when a project may go off track
• Selecting software craftsmen for a particular project
• Designing goals for application development
• Managing software craftsmen

Software Craftsmanship is written forprogrammers who want to become exceptional at their craft and for the project manager who wants to hire them.

Contents

• Foreword
• Preface

• 1 Understanding Software Engineering 3
• 2 The Problems with Software Engineering 11
• 3 Understanding Software Development 17
• 4 Finding a Better Metaphor Than Software Engineering 25

• 5 Putting People Back into Software Development 33
• 6 Craftsmanship Is the Opposite of Licensing 37

• 7 How Craftsmanship Affects the Users of Systems 47
• 8 Customers Have a Different Relationship with Craftsmen 55
• 9 Managing Craftsmen 69
• 10 Becoming a Software Craftsman 79
• 11 Mastering the Craft 85
• 12 Apprentice Developers 93
• 13 Journeymen Developers 105

• 14 Software Engineering Projects 111
• 15 Hazards of the Software Engineering Metaphor 117
• 16 Learning from Software Engineering 131

• 17 Experience - The Best Indicator of Project Success 141
• 18 Design for Testing and Maintenance 155
• 19 Perpetual Learning 171
• Epilogue 179
• Acknowledgments 181
• Index