Books on Software

This is a list of books that every software project manager should read. Generally the ones that should be read first are at the top of the list.

On software projects:

• The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks. One of my first books on software projects, it describes many concepts that often show up in the writings of the best software project managers, such as the mythical man-month, the second-system effect, and plan one to throw away.

• Peopleware by Tom Demarco & Timothy Lister. Another of the first books on software projects that I read and it was very influential in how I think about software projects.

• Managing Humans by Michael Lopp. Primarily material from the author’s blog, it’s a series of well written essays about being a manager at Apple. I read this when it came out.

• Death March by Ed Yourdon. (Optional.) Another of my first books on software projects, this time from the perspective of how to avoid common pitfalls in projects. I haven’t read the second edition yet.

• Rapid Development by Steve McConnell. (Optional.) I haven’t read this one but Joel on Software recommends it, and I have it on my Kindle.

• Rework by Jason Fried. (Optional.) A collection of many short essays about what works for 37signals, the author’s company. You have to realize that authors and speakers tend to only know what worked for them, so when they explain their ideas, remember that it doesn’t necessarily work for everybody. But this book is good, even if it does go against a lot of conventional wisdom, after all, he built a hugely profitable company based on this. I read this when it came out.

On design and psychology:

• Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. Design is a lot of things, including understanding human psychology, as well as the technical limitations that you work with. This book is a good introduction to why design is important. This one is on my Kindle and I’m currently reading it.

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. A classic. Read it to understand the techniques that companies use in advertising and marketing to manipulate you. I read this years ago.

• The Non-Designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams. This book is for everybody who wouldn’t call themselves a designer but still needs to make something that’s well-designed. This one is on my Kindle and I’m currently reading it.

On the philosophy of engineering and programming:

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. A book about philosophy, and a book about learning how to think for oneself, but written in the form of a travel narrative across the West. I read this when I was in high school and it had a big impact.

• Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. A novel about being a programmer in Microsoft in the 1990s that I haven’t gotten a chance to read yet.

• A Pattern Langauge by Christopher Alexander, et al. Another book I’ve been trying to find and read but haven’t gotten my hands on yet.