Software Project Survival Guide

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Summary: An accessable book; key elements of project management.
Review: I read this book on a three day business trip, it reads very fast. McConnell does a first rate job of laying out the fundamentals of software project management. Without stepping into the SEI-CMM / ISO 9000 debate, he educates the reader to understand the rationale for process and its role in the product development lifecycle. The humor and clarity of SPSG has prompted me to read his earlier work, Rapid Development, with high expectations.

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Summary: Good checklists, not enough examples.
Review: This is a good book full of essential checklists for the lifetime of a project. However, it does not contain sufficient examples. For example, there is no sample architecture document, only guidelines. The book's website also does not include examples.

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Summary: I wish my manager had read it!
Review: Another classic book about succeeding in the software business. Like in his previous books, the author speaks right into a developer's heart (and hopefully into a manager's brains).

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Summary: A Highly Recommended Book On Software Project Management
Review: Steve McConnell covers software development strategies in great detail. Important issues involved in software development are discussed with illustrations that make some complex factors affecting project management easy to understand and analyze. Survival tips presented are very practical and to-the-point, making SPSG a must read for people currently in the software industry.

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Summary: Well thought out and practical advice on managing projects
Review: The guidelines and practices put forth in this book are practical, and are a common sense approach to Project management. I have worked with teams using many of the techniques on previous projects, with a high degree of success. The one area I find missing in the staged approach is the handling of overlapped work where some items take much longer to complete than any single stage. Users should review this staged approach to be sure it can work on their specific project. Otherwise I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: An excellent resource for project managers!
Review: SPSG provides excellent guidance and a host of project tracking and documentation ideas that are sure to aid any type of development project. As a first-time project manager, I am part of the target audience the book was geared to (How to be sure your first important project isn't your last), and I was searching for some sort of guidance. My team has implemented and adapted many of the suggestions, and we are developing tight process controls as a result of the input from this book. The only thing that I wish for the book is that the valuable resources on the SPSG web site were also included on CD with the text. The companion site provides a wealth of ideas that have helped us to mold our project and set standards within both our company and our clients' organization. Every project manager should be required to read the SPSG.

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Summary: A comprehensi guide to running a successful software project
Review: The book describes a software project management methodology based upon "Staged Development". McConnell describes each step in the methodology clearly and concisely, with lots of practical examples, both good and bad. A must read for anyone involved in developing software or managing software projects.

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Summary: Excellent guide to basic project management
Review: I've read McConnell's other books and I think that they are excellent. This book contains alot of the same information as Rapid Software Development, but it has much more of a slant towards applying the ideas. I think that anybody involved in software development should read this book.

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Summary: Must Have
Review: Everyone on the software project needs to own and read and understand this book, especially management! They also need to do the same with the book "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering". Then maybe the project will have a chance.

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Summary: Project Management Review
Review: This book was required for one of my graduate courses. However, I found it to be very useful reference book for software development project management. Boring read, but mandatory for anyone who wants to learn more about project management.