The Psychology of Technology Series

James Bach says, "Read this book and get your head straight about testing. I consider Jerry (Weinberg) to be the greatest living tester." Answers the questions that puzzle the most people: Why do we have to bother testing? Why not just test everything? What is it that makes testing so hard? Why does testing take so long? Is perfect software even possible? Why can't we just accept a few bugs?

A personalized guide to developing the qualities that make a successful technical leader. We all possess the ingredients for leadership, some better developed than others. The book focuses on the problem-solving style–a unique blend of skills in 3 main areas: innovation, motivation, and organization. Ways to analyze your own leadership skills, with practical steps for developing those skills.

Consultant and legendary programmer Gerald M. Weinberg offers readers a unique insider's view of the many ways to become a better programmer and to improve job performance. Organized as a collection of essays about the profession of programming, the book is both provocative and readable. Each chapter concludes with an entertaining and instructive parable. Anyone interested in becoming a skilled and experienced professional in this sometimes treacherous profession will benefit from Weinberg's insights. Gerald M. Weinberg, author of The Psychology of Computer Programming, offers readers an insider's view, with suggestions on how to become a better programmer and improve job performance, in a book that's both helpful and a pleasure to read. Learn how to become a professional manage professionals get a little respect survive in a bureaucracy think more effectively discover what kind of thinker you are envision the future of the professional programmer Software developer Daniel Read said "This is probably my favorite book on the subject of software development. It is definitely my favorite of Weinberg's many excellent books. I return to this book again and again, and find something new every time. Weinberg's gift is inspiring thinking that is outside of one's normal patterns of thought. I predict that software developers another twenty years from now will still be reading this book." If you are a programmer or manage programmers, or indeed just associate with programmers, this is a book that you should read. . . . turn to any one of the essays, and find a thought-provoking idea.

SHAPE is an acronym for Software as a Human Activity Performed Effectively and is also the name of a web based discussion community devoted to issues in project management. The participants in the discussion are some of the leading figures in the area of the management of software projects and this book was constructed by selecting some of the more profound points made in the online debate. What is most interesting about the discussion is that it deals with management situations rather than being restricted to software projects. The point I found the most useful is the description of serious failures that have occurred. Generally, when the problem begins, the decision makers are receiving accurate data that clearly indicates that a failure is imminent. However, it continues to progress and become critical because those receiving the data find it difficult or impossible to believe the data until it is too late. This is a very common occurrence in the software development world, as often everyone from the senior managers on down choose to ignore the warning signs that the project is moving towards failure. Even worse, anyone who breaks ranks to raise the issue is censured or even terminated. Finding a solution to this category of problem is probably the most difficult of all managerial problems to solve. Such a complex problem is not easily resolved, but the advice here will certainly help. One other discussion that was of great interest is the one about the sinking of the Titanic. In fact, I learned some aspects of that most catastrophic of failures from the SHAPE discussion that I was not aware of, although some of the discussion is a bit unusual. It turns out that the limited lifeboat capacity was due to a redefinition of their purpose. Since the ship was unsinkable, the only possible use for the boats was to ferry passengers off in the event the engines were to quit. The most unusual point in the entire book was a dialog thread where the debate point was whether the attempt to avoid the iceberg was a mistake. It is argued that it would have been better to have rammed the iceberg, which would have severely damaged the ship, but not enough for it to sink. At first hearing it may appear absurd, but the point is a sound one. When catastrophe strikes, sometimes the best long term solution is to accept severe initial damage and survive rather than to attempt to avoid it with a more serious result. This is directly applicable to many software development projects, which always seem to be rudderless in a sea of potential disasters.

This landmark 1971 classic is reprinted with a new preface, chapter-by-chapter commentary, and straight-from-the-heart observations on topics that affect the professional life of programmers. Long regarded as one of the first books to pioneer a people-oriented approach to computing, The Psychology of Computer Programming endures as a penetrating analysis of the intelligence, skill, teamwork, and problem-solving power of the computer programmer. Finding the chapters strikingly relevant to today's issues in programming, Gerald M. Weinberg adds new insights and highlights the similarities and differences between now and then. Using a conversational style that invites the reader to join him, Weinberg reunites with some of his most insightful writings on the human side of software engineering. Topics include egoless programming, intelligence, psychological measurement, personality factors, motivation, training, social problems on large projects, problem-solving ability, programming language design, team formation, the programming environment, and much more. The author says, "On an inspired eight-week vacation in Italy, I wrote the first draft of The Psychology of Computer Programming. . . . the book quickly became a best-seller among technical titles, running through more than twenty printings and staying in print for twenty-five years. . . . "For this Silver Anniversary Edition, I decided to take my own advice and not try to hide my errors, for they would be the source of the most learning for my readers. I decided to leave the original text as it was—antiques and all—for your illumination, and simply to add some 'wisdom of hindsight' remarks whenever the spirit moved me. I hope you find the perspective brought by this time-capsule contrast as useful to you as it has been to me." J.J. Hirschfelder of Computing Reviews wrote: "The Psychology of Computer Programming . . . was the first major book to address programming as an individual and team effort, and became a classic in the field. . . . Despite, or perhaps even because of, the perspective of 1971, this book remains a must-read for all software development managers." Sue Petersen of Visual Developer said: "In this new edition, Jerry looks at where we were 30 years ago, where we are now and where we might be in the future. Instead of changing the original text, he's added new comments to each chapter. This allows the reader to compare and contrast his thinking over the decades, showcasing the errors and omissions as well as the threads that bore fruit. ". . . one issue -- communication -- has been at the core of Jerry's work for decades. Unknown to him at the time, Psychology was to form the outline of his life's work. . . . Psychology is valuable as history in a field that is all too ready to repeat the errors of its past. Read Psychology as a picture of where we've been, where we are now, and where we need to go next. Read it as an index to the thinking of one of the most influential figures in our field."

Participants of the SHAPE forum, many of them software consultants and managers at the world's most successful software companies, logged in to help each other identify the "stupid tricks" that developers are tempted to employ in design, code, and documentation—tricks that seem clever in the short term but have damaging long-term effects. Topics include programming, design, documentation, teaching, learning, educating management, being yourself, and much more. The chapter titles are descriptive content headers and they are as follows: 1) Tricks That Ignore Those Who Come After. 2) Tricks That Destroy Portability. 3) Stupid Design Tricks. 4) Stupid Design Document Tricks. 5) Tricks Arising From Social Inadequacy. 6) Experts And Gurus As Leaders. 7) The Leader As Learner. 8) The Expert As Teacher. 9) The Courage To Teach In Any Direction. 10) The Courage To Be Yourself. Presented in an easy-to-read dialogue format, true to the comments' original appearance on the Web, this is the second stand-alone book drawn from Weinberg's SHAPE forum, following Roundtable on Project Management. Contributors include Jim Batterson, James Bullock, Pat Ferdinandi, Fritz, Phil Fuhrer, Jesse Gordon, Don Gray, Brian Gulino, Peter Harris, Joseph Howard, Kevin Huigens, Steve Jackson, James Jarrett, Bob King, Dave Kleist, Henry Knapp, Brian Knopp, Fredric Laurentine, Pat McGee, Nate McNamara, George Olsen, Mark Passolt, Sue Petersen, Dwayne Phillips, Brian Richter, Sharon Marsh Roberts, Brett Schuchert, Stuart Scott, Dave Smith, Steve Smith, Daniel Starr, Wayne Strider, Pete TerMaat, Phil Trice, Bill Trierweiler, Marianne Tromp, Jerry Weinberg, and Kay Wise. Charles Ashbacher put it this way: "The advice in the book is some of the best that I have ever read. There is none of the egotistical posturing that pervades so many of the online forums, the contributors are genuinely humble and realistic. I found them refreshing, entertaining and likable."

John von Neumann once said, "There's no sense being exact about something if you don't even know what you're talking about." In a world that is growing increasingly dependent on highly complex, computer-based systems, the importance of defining what you want to make before making it—that is, knowing what you're talking about—cannot be stressed enough. Here's an innovative book that gives you the understanding you need to give people the solutions they want. The collaborative team of Gause and Weinberg tells how you can assure the requirements are right—before the product is designed. Written by two recognized authorities in the field, this book is a collection of ideas developed, refined, and tested during their more than sixty combined years of work with both large and small organizations. The techniques formulated in Exploring Requirements are not confined to software development; they have been used effectively to develop a wide range of products and systems—from computer software to furniture, books, and buildings. Systems analysts and anyone involved with the challenges of the requirements process will greatly benefit from this book. Renowned leaders in the software industry have this to say about Exploring Requirements: "Anyone who wants to build a product should understand this book."—Watts S. Humphrey, SEI "Consciousness raising for systems analysts." —Tom Demarco, Atlantic Systems Guild ". . . a superb new book on systems analysis. . . . you simply must read and absorb this gem. It complements every brand-name systems analysis methodology currently being practiced." —Ed Yourdon, American Programmer ". . . provides an excellent set of principles amply illustrated by relevant and thought-provoking examples."—Barry Boehm, UCLA "The title lays it out, that exploring requirements does imply quality before design, and the text provides the social, psychological, and intellectual processes to carry it out. Gause and Weinberg are unique in their experiences and abilities in the subject."— Harlan D. Mills, Florida Institute of Technology

John von Neumann once said, "There's no sense being exact about something if you don't even know what you're talking about." In a world that is growing increasingly dependent on highly complex, computer-based systems, the importance of defining what you want to make before making it—that is, knowing what you're talking about—cannot be stressed enough. Here's an innovative book that gives you the understanding you need to give people the solutions they want. The collaborative team of Gause and Weinberg tells how you can assure the requirements are right—before the product is designed. Written by two recognized authorities in the field, this book is a collection of ideas developed, refined, and tested during their more than sixty combined years of work with both large and small organizations. The techniques formulated in Exploring Requirements are not confined to software development; they have been used effectively to develop a wide range of products and systems—from computer software to furniture, books, and buildings. Systems analysts and anyone involved with the challenges of the requirements process will greatly benefit from this book. Renowned leaders in the software industry have this to say about Exploring Requirements: "Anyone who wants to build a product should understand this book."—Watts S. Humphrey, SEI "Consciousness raising for systems analysts." —Tom Demarco, Atlantic Systems Guild ". . . a superb new book on systems analysis. . . . you simply must read and absorb this gem. It complements every brand-name systems analysis methodology currently being practiced." —Ed Yourdon, American Programmer ". . . provides an excellent set of principles amply illustrated by relevant and thought-provoking examples."—Barry Boehm, UCLA "The title lays it out, that exploring requirements does imply quality before design, and the text provides the social, psychological, and intellectual processes to carry it out. Gause and Weinberg are unique in their experiences and abilities in the subject."— Harlan D. Mills, Florida Institute of Technology