Rating: 
Summary: Chapter 20 of Peopleware
Review: In Chapter 20 of _Peopleware_ Mr. DeMarco and Mr. Lister tried to list things that would make a team jell. They came up with the un-inspiring 0(zero) things you can do to make a team jell. From this stopping point, they came up with their famous reverse-angle chapter 'Teamicide'.This is the book that should have been written in place of that chapter. Devotees of the people side of IT development will find this book useful in diagnosing what's wrong on their team, and they will a good idea of how to start fixing it. This book has probably advanced the sociology of IT teams past where it has been since DeMarco & Lister. Warning, this book is not for the timid, or for those that think the people side of IT is unimportant. One thing the authors don't make clear is if one has to take their bootcamp course to implement these procedures, or if this book can be used as-is.
Rating:
Summary: Chapter 20 of Peopleware
Review: In Chapter 20 of _Peopleware_ Mr. DeMarco and Mr. Lister tried to list things that would make a team jell. They came up with the un-inspiring 0(zero) things you can do to make a team jell. From this stopping point, they came up with their famous reverse-angle chapter 'Teamicide'. This is the book that should have been written in place of that chapter. Devotees of the people side of IT development will find this book useful in diagnosing what's wrong on their team, and they will a good idea of how to start fixing it. This book has probably advanced the sociology of IT teams past where it has been since DeMarco & Lister. Warning, this book is not for the timid, or for those that think the people side of IT is unimportant. One thing the authors don't make clear is if one has to take their bootcamp course to implement these procedures, or if this book can be used as-is.
Rating:
Summary: Teams become real
Review: It'is one of the most wonderful books I ever read about teams. What I mostly appreciate is that talks about teams in a language a developer or an engineer can understand (bypassing the resistances and prejudices that technicians have treating emotions, motivations, groups and so on) and usually it's a nightmare for me to explain them that poor performance are not simply related to task assignments or character or people smartness...
Definitely a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Getting to results
Review: Software For Your Head gives us an insightful look at ourselves. Those of us who have been working on project teams for years and years, always seeking the next process idea that will really make a difference realize that it is not the process that we use that holds us back. Extreme programming, MSF, RAD,RUP, OOAD, PMI, Ad Hoc, Agile, Adaptive, Scrum ... the list goes on and on. Having studied each of these methods and having personally used many, I've found that they each have strenghts. If we would use the process, we'd be more successful. For some reason, perhaps because software that truely adds business value is really elusive we dwell on the process and not what really holds us back. It's us. We don't believe in ourselves and certainly not in each other and certainly not in our users (those footing the bill). I found that SWFH and theCore described within the book, really uncovers what is missing from our projects. It's us. SWFH describes patterns and antipatterns of our behavior. To truely get your hands around this information it requires thoughtful reading, perhaps multiple times. It requires committment to improving the way we work together. It requires committment to improving the way I work, the level and degree of my presence on the job and in life. I love software. I love technology. I love the challenge that SWFH gives me to think about my results. This is an important work and requires accountability. Read it and then read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Transformational
Review: The Core Protocols defined in "Software for Your Head" are amazingly effective tools for personal and team development and value generation. If you're interested in results it's a must read. Those afraid of change, introspection or the possibility that psychology and psyches influence team behavior will probably be turned off. Those ready for fresh, honest and valuable insight will find it in abundance. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Presentation needs polish; content is intriguing
Review: The material in this book was derived from years of intense experimentation with real teams. This experimental nature really appealed to me and so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, the book does not feel polished and so that experimental nature really shows through. The lack of polish is a result of poor editing, not necessarily poor experiments. My main gripe is that the sentences and paragraphs are just too hard to read- there's no flow. "By accepting or practicing a lack of integrity, you leave the better parts of your presence behind." Sentences like these make me feel like the authors pulled "eureka!" type statements from their bootcamps and plunked them down in the book naked. The surrounding material often doesn't support complicated statements like these well, and so the complicated material is that much more ambiguous. "What are they trying to get at here?" is the sort of question I found myself asking too often while reading the book. I disagree with the statement in the Richard Dragan review that says this book is "long on theory but consciously short on any practical examples." SFYH is *mostly* concrete things you can do to foster a team that is engaged and strives for excellence. However, it puzzles me that the book does not provide any anecdotes from their bootcamps that support the protocols they are proposing. I think the material would have been a lot more friendly if it would have stepped away from technicality now and again to illustrate the material with examples: "this one time.. in bootcamp.. Frankie was acting like such an ego dork and we.." I see a lots of parallels between the ideas from Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and this book. Covey does a great job of explaining how highly effective people operate, and SFYH implements many of their habits in its patterns. Additionally, Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" does a great job of illustrating a dysfunctional team and I see a lot of synergies between the dysfunctions outlined in that book and the problems that SFYH aims to address with concrete things you can do, and mindsets that you must take. Despite my criticisms, there are lots of ideas in this book. I happen to like a lot of them. The way you think about how you work will be different after reading this book. It's just a shame the authors didn't express their ideas more clearly and more succinctly.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time
Review: The topic and issues addressed by this book are very important: how to forge a group of indviduals into fellow travelers in a SW project and ultimately into a performing team. However, most of the issues underlying team dynamics e.g., vision, alignment, setting processes, expectations and commitments, addressing discontent, performance management, consensus based mangement are all topics beaten to death by project and organizational management professionals & consultants. Couching these issues in a boring abstract framework and terminolgy ("align", "chekin", "checkout", "sharedvision") is the singular accomplishment of this book. Summarily taking extreme positions such as "programmers always suffer from a delusion of resource shortage", "personal agenda are ambushed inside all technical agenda" etc is another highlight of this book. This book hardly has any practical examples of how the principles outlined in the book have been effective in addressing real life situations. Read it only if you disovered [money] lying in the gas station & your manager granted you a bonus vacation.
Rating:
Summary: Bootcamp changed my life
Review: This book doesn't just pick up where Jim McCarthy's earlier "Dynamics of Software Development" left off, it is much much deeper. The book addresses the core problems that software developers face as individuals and teams. As you learn and practice the protocols, you may find that you are more productive at work and at home because you are better able to relate to your co-workers and family. Are you willing to accept responsibility for getting what you want?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent !!!
Review: This book is a true gift. Jim and Michele presents an excellent set of "protocols" that will help you create and be a part of a great team with shared vision. I worked as a programmer, and then as development manager for years. I lived the times when my team was closely knit, and then times when things were not going as well. I really I wish I had the "Software for Your Head" experience much earlier in my career. I recommend you to put your skepticism aside, keep an open mind and read it all the way. The "protocols" are very simple to execute, and surprisingly enough, you will see that it makes a huge difference in your daily life even when you are the only one in your office who knows about the protocols. < Of course, I also highly recommend attending the Bootcamp itself. I believe it is a "must have" experience for every professional. > Happy reading,
Tolga.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent !!!
Review: This book is a true gift. Jim and Michele presents an excellent set of "protocols" that will help you create and be a part of a great team with shared vision. I worked as a programmer, and then as development manager for years. I lived the times when my team was closely knit, and then times when things were not going as well. I really I wish I had the "Software for Your Head" experience much earlier in my career. I recommend you to put your skepticism aside, keep an open mind and read it all the way. The "protocols" are very simple to execute, and surprisingly enough, you will see that it makes a huge difference in your daily life even when you are the only one in your office who knows about the protocols. < Of course, I also highly recommend attending the Bootcamp itself. I believe it is a "must have" experience for every professional. > Happy reading,
Tolga.
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