Managing the Unmanageable

Today, many software projects continue to run catastrophically over schedule and budget, and still don’t deliver what customers want. Some organisations conclude that software development can’t be managed well. But it can—and it starts with people. In their extensively updated Managing the Unmanageable, Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty show how to hire and develop programmers, onboard new hires quickly and successfully, and build and nurture highly effective and productive teams.

Drawing on over 80 years of combined industry experience, the authors share Rules of Thumb, Nuggets of Wisdom, checklists, and other Tools for successfully leading programmers and teams, whether they’re co-located or dispersed worldwide. This edition adds extensive new Agile coverage, new approaches to recruitment and onboarding, expanded coverage of handling problem employees, and much more. Whether you’re new to software management or you’ve done it for years, you’ll find indispensable advice for handling your challenges and delivering outstanding software.

• Find, recruit, and hire the right programmers, when you need them
• Manage programmers as the individuals they are
• Motivate software people and teams to accomplish truly great feats
• Create a successful development subculture that can thrive even in a toxic company culture
• Master the arts of managing down and managing up
• Embrace your role as a manager who empowers self-directed agile teams to thrive and succeed