Development Process Tips

To survive in the software industry, software development teams must master multiple disciplines. In addition to coding, these include the ability to plan, make accurate time and cost estimates, to continually improve productivity and quality, and to manage risks carefully.

Without a sound development process, there is no guarantee that the success achieved on earlier projects can be repeated on future projects.

Development Process Tips ...

Perform Peer Reviews

Learn about peer reviews, how to conduct them effectively and the considerable benefits to be gained from doing so. Find out the return on investment gained by organisations seeking software process improvement who employed this technique.

Automate The Build Process And Perform Daily Builds

Eliminate time-consuming build issues by adopting a consistent build process for your Visual Basic projects. Understand the benefits of 'release' and 'debug' builds.

Automate The Install Process And Provide Uninstall Functionality

Eliminate costly support issues by adopting a consistent installation process for your application software. Your customers, salesmen and test teams will appreciate it too!

Recommended Books ...

Software Project Survival Guide, Steve McConnell

Our opinion: Must read! [Fairly quick to read, easy to re-visit.] If you've ever suffered on a failing software project and don't want to endure the pain again then this book is for you! It is packed with useful tips covering all aspects of the development life cycle. Chapter 2 contains a simple test to assess a software project's health. The book offers best practice advice to improve your development approach based on hard won industry knowledge and the author's vast experience.

Rapid Development, Steve McConnell

Our opinion: Must read! [Best read in sections, easy to re-visit.] This book covers the full spectrum of software development dividing the subject into sensible chapters packed with good advice and ending with pointers to further reading. With over 600 pages and 43 chapters this is a serious read! Covering different approaches and techniques, if you simply read a chapter a week and apply the advice to your projects you may well achieve 'Rapid Development'.

Code Complete 2, Steve McConnell

Our opinion: Must read! [Best read in sections, easy to re-visit.] 'A Practical Handbook Of Software Construction' is an accurate description of this book. Packed with valuable tips on all aspects of coding it leaves no stone unturned. Some development managers make this book mandatory reading for developers joining their team and, after reading it, you'll understand why. If you want to avoid bad coding habits and learn how to write better code then you won't be disappointed with this book.

Dynamics of Software Development, Jim McCarthy

Our opinion: Must read! [Very quick to read and re-visit.] If you're looking for fresh advice on improving your approach to all aspects of developing packaged software in a 'rapid read' format then this book is for you. This veteran developer divides the development process into sections and then lists rules relevant to each section. There are 54 rules in total and you can't fail to benefit from reading them.

The Mythical Man-Month, Frederick Brooks

Our opinion: Must read! [A little academic, fairly easy to read and re-visit.] A classic book which proves the software industry has been, and still is, slow to learn from its mistakes. Revised with 4 additional chapters on its 20th anniversary in 1995, the book draws on the author's experience and offers great insight into running large and complex projects. Take the time to digest what is being said and you'll learn a great deal to improve your chances of running successful software development projects.

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