Full name: Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects

Authors: Tom DeMarco, Timothy R. Lister Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Amazon Goodreads ISBNs: 9780932633606 0932633609

The guys from Peopleware are at it again. This time, they tackle the management attitude that plays the ostrich and keeps its head in the sand, denying reality instead of facing it. They are making a case for knowing what risks lie ahead, how to notice them, and how to prepare for their possible occurrence.In their usual style, the authors keep things light and simple, yet offer quick and easy rules to get you going. The book is peppered with anecdotes taken from their professional experience. You can start applying the advice from the book immediately and get results right away.Their approach to quantifying risk through simulation has its detractors (see reader comments on Amazon), but I think the very simple act of listings the risks and their associated contingencies (what to do when a risk manifests itself) and mediation (preparation ahead of time) are already a big step forward from mere wishful thinking. It helped me keep some of these risks in mind and stay on the lookout for their manifestation. I, too, would question a proposition that says: the math for this is too complicated for you, but trust our handy little Excel spreadsheet. But the book is still very much worth the read and contains a lot of fair advice.