77 Sure Fire Ways to Kill a Software Project: Destructive Tactics That Cause Budget Overruns, Late Deliveries, and Massive Personnel Turnover

I was introduced to this book by a colleague and after a quick riffle through I couldn't wait to order my own copy. The typeface is large and the lines are 1.5 spaced - this book is a short read. However, anybody who's worked at the coal face of even a small number of software projects will instantly connect.It would be really easy to write a long, dry tome about good practice in project management. But it would be boring to read and end up being used as a door stop (I have a small number of IT books that look as new as the day I bought them). This book takes a much better approach though. It takes each point and turns it on its head.For example - instead of saying 'give new equipment to permanent staff' there is a short satirical piece suggesting that the best way to build morale in a team is to make permies use old hardware and order in the latest kit for the contractors.That is basically the style of the book - satirical and hugely entertaining. Buy one for your team leader! Don't spend money on your project manager though, they can buy their own...

This book could be taken the wrong way as a 'reverse guide' to good software development management.In truth it is just a really satirical look at software development that details the common mistakes made by different styles of software management - as a reader you regularly find yourself being able to relate to the 'methods' detailed... my personal favourite being 'IROCs - Idiots Right of College'!For 8 quid its worth the laugh!

This was a book we kept around our offices as a reminder of past mistakes. It seemed to spark off a host of discussions which made us think about errors we were in danger of making.This is a light-hearted handbook, but what it says using its reverse-psychology is valid. I agree with the earlier reviewer -if you are serious about Project Managemeent in the real world then go and get Rapid Development or the Software Project Survival Guide by Steve MConnell. They are superb books pitched at an easily understood level and more serious than 77 Sure Fire Ways to Kill a Software Project.If you've been involved in a project from hell, picked up a mess half way through or cocked it up yourself and the scars aren't too painful then read this and laugh with the hollow laugh of recognition.

The idea behind this book is commendable. Unfortunately the authors have chosen the "reverse thinking technique" (yes, really !) to prevent the book from being a "dreary treatise" and as a consequence have produced a work that is readable but not understandable. The flow of the book is interrupted constantly by the reader have to practice "reverse thinking" and figure out what the authors are really trying to say.Spend a bit more and buy Steve McConnell.