Jimali Software Engineering

Ever since I read Peopleware, I have enjoyed reading Tom DeMarco's books. I find that his writing style is easy to read, his arguments are logically constructed, and there is always good advice. So it was not surprising that I ordered this book as soon as I saw it.

I was NOT disappointed.

Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies introduces project behavioural patterns and provides advice for dectecting and acting on the patterns. There are 86 patterns described in this book. All of them affect the way projects are delivered, and the outcomes they generate. The book is filled with good advice learned over many years.

Tom DeMarco collaborates with the other Principals of the Atlanic Systems Guild to write ths book. The end result is a book that contains insights from each principal. In many patterns, testimony from one of the principals elaborates on the pattern being discussed. Despite the collaboration, I found the writing style to be consistent throughout the book - consistently easy to read and understand. This made the book a pleasure to read. The number of highlighted passages showed once again how much I got from the book (I didn't quite wear out a highlighter this time).

At two hundred and thirty odd pages, this is not a big book; but the authors have crammed a lot into it. This perhaps, may have been the only flaw in the book. Typically each pattern has a a couple of pages allocated to it. This seems appropriate for most of the patterns; however some patterns felt like there should have been just that little bit more.

The title of the book comprises two of the patterns described in the book. The first, Adrenaline Junkies, describes an organisation that associates frantic activity with productivity. An organisation that is too busy writing the application code than testing it is an example of this pattern. Whilst the organisation might appear to be productive to the casual observer, it is really just an optical illusion that is likely to disolve the first time the software is actually used. Adrenaline fueled organisations react to problems rather than proactively seeking to prevent problems occurring in the first place.

The second, Template Junkies, describes an organisation that is too busy ensuring that documents are complete rather than concentrating on the processes that actually deliver value to their customer. The organisation is too concerned about the form of their documentation rather than the substance of the documents. I have seen this happen far too often. The authors argue that organisations should concentrate on the substance of the documentation not just the form, and that templates should be an appropriate guide for their intended use.

The Food++ pattern discusses team building from the perspective of the team preparing and eating meals together. The authors describe how a project team wanted to spend time together and how this led to improved morale and team spirit. The authors relate how team members who were not heavily utilised at the time, chose to help those that were by cooking meals for them and supporting them. Ultimately, according to the authors, this led to the team delivering software on time.

The book describes positive and negative behavioural patterns. Each one affects the project in a different manner. Project teams would be wise to implement many of the positive patterns, and be vigilant to detect the introduction of the negative patterns.

What I liked:

• Easy to read;
• Practical advice;
• Logical presentation of arguments;
• Inclusion of the author's personal experiences in the pattern description;
• Large number of identified patterns;

What I disliked:

There isn't much to dislike about this book. The large number of identified patterns is both a bonus and a detriment.

Recommendation:

I have lost track of the number of times that I have witnessed, been involved in, or been the cause of, patterns described in this book. I can only hope to learn from my mistakes and identify these patterns sooner rather than later in future projects. I plan to keep this book within handy reach on all future projects, and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone involved in project work. This book should not be left on the shelf gethering dust - it will help you identify blockages preventing you delivering projects.

If you are serious about detecting behavioural patterns that prevent you delivering a successful project, then you need to read this book.