Rating: 
Summary: Dated
Review: This book is a dated classic. There are much better books than this now; "Code Complete" and "Rapid Development" by Steve McConnell spring to mind. I would borrow it from the library and buy "Code Complete".
Rating: 
Summary: Distilled facts that withstand the test of time
Review: I cannot think up any other book that would come close to being as effective as this one when it comes to solid, down to earth advice on the management of software projects.
Direct and to the point in its presentation, and built on actual experience gathered during years of work, the book lays down its insight in an extremely effective and efficient manner, making for both an interesting and an effective read. Quantity wise, the book addresses many issues surrounding the world of software project management, issues that usually take several books for others to explore.
Although the book is old, with references to old technologies that serve best as comic relief nowadays, it is quite amazing to see how true and how valid the insights gathered by the author are today. My own experience and discussions I have had with colleagues from reputable Fortune 100 companies helped me realize how relevant the book still is: Decades after it was written, project managers everywhere still approach software projects with attitudes that would never be accepted elsewhere and are still attempting to cut corners they should not cut. They all end up paying the price, just as the book predicts.
The bottom line is that this book is a true classic: Extremely effective, concise, readable, entertaining - and one that withstands the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: Sad But True
Review: After reading this book, I was sad about the fact that the managing problems developers had during the "classical" days of coding are still prevalent in 21st century. The conclusion I got from the book was that the hardware side of computing as involved but the software side is not evolving in the same rate. It's a must-read for those who want to understand what a team project manager is supposed to do.
Rating: 
Summary: A true classic of software project management!
Review: There have been many, many books on software project management lately, but this one still is one of the best. Perhaps the context of older simpler technology helps illustrate the principles more clearly. While some new technologies have an impact on projects, particularly the encapsulation aspect of object-oriented design that allows for real code-reuse, the fundamentals don't change. Further, Brooks shows us why there can never be a "Silver Bullet" that will revolutionize the art.He covers in great detail critical elements such as team structure, development process, conceptual integrity, and scheduling issues (including the myth of the man-month, for which the book is named). Further, since he draws on experience from classic projects such as IBM's OS/360, the book has interesting history as well. My only issue is that with recent increases in power of PCs and languages, many "projects" are now of such scope that they need only involve a single developer, in which case a different paradigm is needed.
Rating:
Summary: A concise classic
Review: Perhaps the first mass market book on software engineering, this book is a classic. It has defined the agenda for the software engineering field, as well as guide the organizational design for many software and IT organizations. Some key concepts from the book...
- It is not good project management to divide effort by time to come up with staffing. Adding people adds commuications complexity, so double staff size quadruples the amount of communications links.
- To insure conceptual integrity, the software project needs the design to be handled by a very small group of people.
- The optimal model for a software development team is a hospital surgical unit.
- There is no silver bullet for improved quality, just a lot of best practices. Mr. Brooks brings a wealth of experience to bear on this. As the head of some of IBM's largest operating system development projects, he's been in the guts of some of the hardest challenges the industry has to offer. He writes in a non-technical style that cuts to the heart of these difficult topics. In the latest edition, Mr. Brooks takes a hard look at what he got right and wrong over the years. This rare self-critical analysis makes it a valuable re-read for those that enjoyed it the first time.
Rating:
Summary: timeless classic
Review: I just re-read Mythical Man-Month for the umpteenth time. This book is like a good bottle of scotch, it gets better each time. Your developers should read this book if they are serious coders.
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