San Francisco, CA, March 5, 2009—For engineers who suddenly find themselves in charge at a small growing software company, the change in responsibilities can be daunting. With dozens of new responsibilities to juggle and the never-ending pressures of building and growing software, technical managers can't take time to ease into their job—they need proven strategies fast.
Growing Software (No Starch Press, March 2009, 424 pp, ISBN 9781593271831) provides practical, hands-on advice for software managers trying to juggle the challenges of running an engineering team. Drawing on his more than 20 years of successful management experience, author Louis Testa offers readers a wealth of practical guidance that readers could only replace with years of on-the-job training, with advice on how to define and sell products, build and lead an effective team, work with customers, and choose effective development tools.
"Engineers promoted to management are often used to coding by themselves," said No Starch Press founder William Pollock. "They've got the technical side of things down, but they don't necessarily know how to effectively manage a small team, or define processes to ensure the release of high-quality software. Growing Software is a mentor-in-a-book, guiding new managers through the tough decisions they'll invariably face."
Testa combines big-picture advice, specific solutions, and real-life anecdotes to teach readers how to:
- Work effectively with a CEO and executive team
- Improve development team efficiency and enthusiasm
- Evaluate a company's software methodology to improve effectiveness and safeguard against failure
- Use product prototypes to bridge the gap between marketing and engineering
Detailed templates and spreadsheets round out the book, helping readers put concepts into action. Whether they're new to their positions or experienced managers just trying to do a better job, Growing Software will save managers precious time and help them avoid major mistakes that will block growth.
For more information, to schedule an interview, or for a review copy of Growing Software, please contact Travis Peterson at No Starch Press (nostarchpr@oreilly.com, +1.415.863.9900, x300), or visit www.nostarch.com.
About the Author
Louis Testa is Senior Engineering Manager at Galois, a small company that specializes in high-assurance software. He received his BS (with honors) in Engineering from Caltech and his MS EE from the University of California, Berkeley. He has managed engineering teams for over 20 years, and his papers have been featured at many technology conferences. He blogs at www.gspractices.com.
Additional Resources
Chapter 2: "Managing a Development Team" (PDF)
Table of contents overview
Detailed table of contents (PDF)
Index (PDF)
Large cover image
Growing Software
by Louis Testa
March 2009, 424 pp
ISBN 9781593271831, $39.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (http://www.nostarch.com/, orders@nostarch.com, 1-800-420-7240).
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