The Software developer's guide / Whil Hentzen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hentzen, Whil.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Computer software--Development--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Computer software.

Computer software--Development.

Physical Description:

xxx, 507 p.

Edition:

3rd ed.

Place of Publication:

Whitefish Bay, Wis. : Hentzenwerke Publishing, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

There are plenty of books that show you how to write applications in a specific language. They do a marvelous job of explaining the nuts and bolts of the syntax and the use of the tools to build applications with the latest features and functionality available. There are also a number of fine books that show you how to be "a computer consultant." But there are a whole host of issues specific to the business of writing, delivering and supporting custom software systems. The Software Developer s Guide, Third Edition, is the only book that will take you on a step-by-step tour of the entire process. DevGuide 3, with over 150 pages of new material, shows you how to do "The Other 90%" of the work involved in producing custom software applications."

Contents:

Intro

Our Contract with You, The Reader

List of Chapters

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

About the Author

How to Download the Files

Introduction

Section I: About Development

Chapter 1: Types of Developers

The independent developer

The partnership

The small development shop

The large development shop

The small company developer

The large company developer

The consultancy

Conclusion

Chapter 2: Types of Gigs

Original development

Definition

Skills required

Time span

Location

Pros and cons

Application rewrite

Version 2.0 development

Maintenance

Troubleshooting

Audits

Hourly consulting

Chapter 3: Types of Processes

Structured development (the waterfall method)

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Benefits of RAD

Disadvantages of RAD

Agile Methodologies

Benefits of Agile Methodologies

How Agile Methodologies deal with risk

Dealing with how long and how much

Comparison of Agile Methodologies with structured programming

The role of requirements and specifications

Estimating time and costs and billing

Code Like Hell And See What Happens (CLHASWH)

Chapter 4: Choosing a Process

Type of project

Type of process

Your own abilities

Customer requirements and attributes

Do they have a fixed budget?

Do they have a fixed deadline?

How critical is quality?

How involved do they want to be?

How involved can they be?.

How well defined is the project?

Do they have an appreciation for software development? Do they buy in?

Considerations for choosing

Structured development

Rapid Application Development

Extreme Programming

Code Like Hell And See What Happens

Section II: Starting Out

Chapter 5: Are You Ready?

Deciding to make the jump

Making the move

Good reasons

Bad reasons

Crunching the numbers

Income

Expenses

The result

Cataloging the skills

Technical analysis and design

Technical programming skills

Testing

Delivery

Communication

Pieces of the pie

Chapter 6: What You'll Need

Decide what you're going to do

What services are you going to provide?

Where do you want to work?

What type of company/industry do you want to work with?

Do you plan to do it all yourself?

How much money do you want to make?

How do you want to get paid?

Set the ground rules yourself!

Define your methods and methodologies

Define your billable and non-billable activities

Put together a portfolio

Create a budget and a business plan

Contents of a business plan

Two business plan tips

Contents of a budget

Company structure

List your initial resources

Isn't this a lot of work?

Jumping off for practice

Chapter 7: Positioning

Positioning: The basics

What is positioning?

What do you sell?

What are they buying?

What are they really buying?

Why do they buy it?

Who else could they buy it from?

Why do they buy it from you?

Determining your competitive advantage

Why corporate IS departments should be interested in positioning

Samples of positioning

A successful positioning

Expertise with a tool

Expertise within an industry or market

Process expertise

Outsourcing expertise.

Selling before the chasm (leading edge expertise)

Customer service orientation

Company demographic specialization

Geographic orientation

Vertical market orientation

The positioning of a corporate IS department

Chapter 8: Marketing

What is marketing?

Types of marketing

General image marketing

Brand marketing

Product/service marketing

Target of marketing

Customers

Peers

Community

Purpose of marketing

Develop awareness

Encourage preference

The difference between marketing and selling

The marketing of a corporate IS department

Promotional materials

Company name

Logo

Business cards

Stationery and other printed collateral

Brochures

Brochures vs. CD-ROMs

Presentations and slideshows

Web sites and other online advertising

Marketing avenues and techniques

Advertising

Professional affiliations

So what do you do?

Section III: The Initial Contact

Chapter 9: Setting Expectations

Expectations must be mutually understood

Expectations must be met

An example of setting expectations

Expectations peculiar to software development

How to make expectations happen

Chapter 10: The Initial Contact

Where the phone call comes from

The phone call form

Who are they?

What do they want?

What is the next step?

A typical phone call

Get them on track right away

Get your phone call form filled out

Ask them to do their homework

"What can we do to prepare?"

Close the conversation

Follow-up to a phone call

Agenda for the meeting

Send the agenda plus other materials

Twists for the corporate IS department

Chapter 11: The Sales Call

Purpose

Identify the likelihood of a match

First pass at identifying size and scope

Pitch the price and best process

Sell them on the next step.

Goals vs. agenda

Where to meet

Pros and cons of "Their Place"

Pros and cons of "Your Place"

Pros and cons of "A Neutral Place"

What to wear

A suit

Business casual

Programmer casual

What to bring

Materials

A PC

The agenda-your game plan for the meeting

The external plan

Your internal agenda

At the meeting

Introductions

Get them on track and control the meeting

Existing functionality and new functionality

How much will this specification/application cost (in time and money)?

Come to closure and define the next step

The next step

Want an Engagement Letter for design

Want additional consulting

We'll get back to you

The corporate IS department perspective

Chapter 12: Scenarios Encountered During the Sales Call

People not there

People not prepared

Didn't do their homework

"I didn't understand what I was supposed to do"

"I didn't have time"

"I don't think this is my job" or "This is what I pay you for"

"This isn't necessary" or "I didn't see any point in this"

Too many interruptions

"Come back for another meeting"

The meeting that lasts forever

Wanting work done at the meeting

"I need to know how you calculated the price"

Watch your gut!

Section IV: Creating Specifications

Chapter 13: The Fundamental Premise Behind Pricing Custom Software

Define what "it" is

Experience and capability

A history of costs

Additional change factors

A fifth complicating factor

Pricing for Agile Methodologies

Summing up

Chapter 14: An Agreement to do Work

The Engagement Letter

Purpose of the Engagement Letter

General format

The Attachment

General

Services

Support

Ownership

Non-compete agreement

Confidentiality

Customer representative

Disputes and liability

The Customer Setup Form

Purpose.

Procedure

Contents

Using these forms

Chapter 15: The Process of Developing Specifications

What is a Functional Spec?

The pain

The bullet points

Samples

Creating and winnowing the list

Requirements

What is a requirement?

The Use Cases

What is a Use Case?

The Cliff's Notes version of how a Use Case works

Creating a practical Use Case

Prototypes

What is a prototype?

A sample prototype

A second sample prototype

The specification process with prototyping

Beginning with the "pain"

Getting started

Iterating

Tips on the politics of prototypes

Tips on creating prototypes

Tips on demonstrating prototypes

Tips on "keep overnight" prototypes

Calling it quits

Drawing the line at including functionality

When is a prototype not a real application?

A final word about design meetings

How far do you go during specification development?

People you may meet

The Wheel Spinner

The Perfectionist

The Expert

Micro-managers

Cowboys

Seekers of the Silver Bullet

Curmudgeons

There's always somebody…

Chapter 16: The Specification

The Executive Overview

General description

Functionality

Sample use scenario

Functional description

General interface notes

Customer-specific interface notes

Installation and setup

Custom interface elements

Screens

Processes

Reports

Standard components

Technical specs

Environment

Data

Implementation

Test methodology

Deliverables

Modifications

Chapter 17: Calculating Time and Cost for a Specification

Methodologies for estimating

Ways to charge

Options

Advantages and disadvantages

Function Point Analysis-and its problems

Finding Function Points

What's wrong with FPA?

The alternative: Action Point Counting.

Intent: Sizing.

Notes:

Includes index.

Digitized and made available by: Books 24x7.com.

ISBN:

1-280-54418-X

9786610544189

1-930919-24-7

OCLC:

52604945