Rating: 
Summary: Just get it
Review: If you have any interest in managing the software development process, read as much of this book as you can. It's an extraordinary resource, deep and wise
Rating:
Summary: Great book - almost a how-to for RAD
Review: Steve McConnell has again done an excellent job of making the incredibly complex intelligible. If you look at the breadth of subject matter that he necessarily had to cover, and compare his book with others attempting to cover the same, you'll see it stands head and shoulders above almost all of the others. Though he could have included more for the single-programmer shop, overall he does a superb job of bringing out the issues a developer will surely face. He helps you understand the principles that let you face them head on and win. It is just short of a "how-to" manual, but gives you all the information to formulate your own "how-to". It has a place on my top shelf with his other great book, "Code Complete", all of C.J. Date's books on relational theory and a few other selected books I consider to be the best in their subject area. Great job
Rating:
Summary: If you develop software for a living, buy this book
Review: McConnell has created a useful survey of good and bad software development management practices collected in one book. The first two-thirds of this book are narrative, discussing ways to improve development speed and limit risk, which are sometimes at odds with each other. The last third of the book collects "best-of-breed" practices that can be used to improve project development speed, quality, and risk assessment. This book is a winner
Rating:
Summary: If you develop programs, buy this book.
Review: I have developed lot of programs and I have read lot of books of so-called software engineering but nothing rivals 'Rapid Development'. This book, for a change, is written by a human being for human beings. Down to earth advice from one programmer to another. The last section on Best Practices itself pays the price of the book many times over. If you develop programs, then this is THE book to own.
Ashok Atluri
Rating:
Summary: Another winner...
Review: Once again, if you are a software professional, you owe it to yourself to get this book and read it. The thing that made this book stand out for me was that it started to give names to some software practices I've been doing just because they "felt right". Being able to explain what I've been doing by using the terms "evolutionary prototyping", "staged delivery", and "evolutionary delivery" helps a lot
Rating:
Summary: Very practical book
Review: One of the most practical books in software engineering I have ever read
Rating: 
Summary: A great compilation of known software best/worst practices
Review: If there's one book you're going to get on software development then this is it. McConnell consolidates the writings, reseach, and teachings of many authors into a single hefty book. A good reference for all of the buzzwords, terms and approaches in software development today. The only issue I have with the work is its breadth which detracts from the focus normally associated with a schedule driven/compressed project. In his attempt to be comprehensive McConnell has covered mutch ground, unfortunately he only scratches the surfice in too many areas. This makes Rapid Development a good compilation of software engineering concepts but without the depth required for people to improve their own ways of building applications.
Rating:
Summary: A Software Development Must Read
Review: Steve McConnell has done it again. Anyone who has read his 1991 "Code Complete" will understand the quality level of McConnell's research and objective analysis. The incredible reference section is enough to provide anyone
with a lifetime's worth of background reading. McConnell
has assembled a tome of how to properly run a software
development operation. For every argument he makes, there
is data to support his assertions. McConnell also readily
points out all of the 'classic mistakes' that software
project managers have made through the years, and then explains the better method.
For anyone serious about becoming a professional software
team lead or project manager, this is an absolute must
read.
Rating:
Summary: Rapid Team Development with ColdFusion
Review: I read Michael Dinowitz's review of Steve McConnell's Code Complete in last week's issue of Fusion Authority, and wanted to tell you about another great book by him called "Rapid Development". This one is good for team ColdFusion projects on a short deadline (and what ColdFusion project is not rapid development!). The sub-title "Taming Wild Software Schedules" sums it up. The book covers both technical ideas (such as estimation, risk management and mini milestones) and the psychology of both programmers and teams. The latter may be particularly useful on the high burnout 12-hour-a-day work cycle of many ColdFusion programming teams I have seen. Keeping everyone motivated and working together as a team is often more important than technical programming tricks on a large project. Project Management Cookbook The second half of the book, "Best Practices," is a cookbook of 36 techniques for project leaders designed to stop overruns and control those out-of-control, large ColdFusion projects. I have been developing for over 20 years, and nearly all of McConnell's tips ring true. The book is not about ColdFusion per see; it concerns any Rapid Development language. I liked the fact that he rated each of these cookbook methods by the following criteria: Potential reduction from nominal schedule Improvement in progress visibility Effect on schedule risk Chance of first time success Chance of long-term success Here are some of the 36 classic mistakes that McConnell describes in detail: People Related Mistakes Heroics Adding people to a late project Politics placed over substance (etc.) Process Related Mistakes Abandonment of planning under pressure Planning to catch up later "Code-like-hell" programming (etc.) Technology Related Mistakes Silver-Bullet syndrome Overestimating Savings From New Tools or Methods Switching Tools in the Middle of a Project (etc.) If you are like me and have been involved in a few "projects from hell" then I am sure you recognise some (or all) of the above! There are also fun sidebars from the trenches of real development teams, both successes and disasters. Twenty real-life case studies round it out. This is a long book (650 pp) but I have found myself dipping into it for new insights in my daily work as a ColdFusion project manager. Review by: Michael Smith, TeraTech
Rating:
Summary: All-in-one project reference
Review: Learn about project scheduling, risk management, and peopleware issues in this well written book. The example scenarios re-enforce the ideas presented throughout the book. In the end, you'll walk away with a solid understanding of the project development cycle.
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