September 2008 - Posts

• In Defense of the Bill Gates / Jerry Seinfeld Ad #2

  Say what you like about the new Bill Gates /Jerry Seinfeld ads, I have to approve Bill's choice of bedtime reading. He's reading from Section 18.2 of Code Complete 2. (It's about 1:10 into the video.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw I thought I was the only person who read Code Complete 2 aloud to put their kids to sleep! Posted Sep 24 2008, 11:22 AM by Steve McConnell with 5 comment(s)

• Software Executive Summit 2008 Rapidly Approaching

  After Labor Day most of my focus goes into our annual Software Executive Summit. We are now in the final registration period -- with a $1000 public seminar voucher bonus for people who register by September 15. I'm very excited about the speaker lineup this year. In addition to me, Martin Fowler, and Ken Schwaber, we have several very interesting industry speakers. Mike Morrissey is VP Infrastructure at RIM, where he's responsible for the software that keeps all the Blackberries running. Blackberries have experienced meteoric growth, and Mike's going to talk about managing that. Travis McElfresh is VP Technology at MSNBC.com, where he's managed to improve quality and productivity in a 24x7 news organization--and improve morale at the same time. Matt Peloquin, Construx's CTO, is going to talk about our experiences doing technical evaluations with numerous companies over the past several years. His talk title is "Lessons from the Software Wild," which I think people will find appropriate once they hear what he has to say. I hope you'll be able to attend, or that you'll let the executives in your organization know about this unique event. I've appended the official event email below. Steve   Construx Software Executive Summit 2008 If you've been waiting to register for Construx's 2008 Executive Summit, this is the time! A few seats still remain. Register by September 15, 2008 and receive a $1000 voucher for Construx's public seminars, usable by you or anyone on your staff. A rare opportunity for Top Software Executives to explore Software Development challenges and solutions with a Highly Select Group of Executive Peers. The fifth annual Software Executive Summit provides a forum for Top Software Executives to compare, evaluate, and improve their Software Development practices and strategies at the Enterprise Level. Through stimulating keynote addresses and invigorating small group discussions, participants will develop new insights into their organizations and discover innovative solutions. For the past three years, more than 99% of Summit attendees said they would attend again within two years, and 100% said they would recommend the event to others. more > Attendees at past Summits have reported they find the direct discussions with executive peers to be the most valuable part of the Summit. Previous attendees have represented top companies including Microsoft, Intel, Intuit, Symantec, EMC, Adobe, Expedia, Disney, Pixar, GE, Honeywell, General Dynamics, Tektronix, Costco, Nordstrom, Eli Lilly, MetLife, Thomson Financial, ADP, Bank of America, and many others. Keynote Addresses more > Ken Schwaber, "Scaling Scrum." Schwaber is the co-creator of Scrum and was one of the early, visible proponents of lightweight, adaptive processes for software development. Martin Fowler, "Cultivating Great Architects and Designers." Fowler is Chief Scientist at Thoughtworks and author of Refactoring, UML Distilled, and other software development best sellers.  Mike Morrissey, "Managing in a Hyper-Growth Environment." Morrissey is the VP Infrastructure at RIM, the Blackberry company where he oversees the Blackberry infrastructure. Travis McElfresh, "Driving Employee Satisfaction, Morale, and Productivity at MSNBC.com." McElfresh is VP Technology at MSNBC.com. Matt Peloquin, "Technical Lessons From the Software Wild." Peloquin is CTO of Construx Software and oversees technical software evaluations for Construx clients. Steve McConnell, "Secrets of World Class Software Organizations." McConnell is author of Code Complete, Software Estimation, Rapid Development, and other software industry classics. Benefits of Attending more > Share and compare experiences with other software development executives Explore issues with industry experts including Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler, Ken Schwaber, and other Summit attendees Attend monthly Seattle-area ECSE meetings or dial-in meetings for two years Receive Construx's monthly Software Executive Report for two years "Speakers were world class. I kept saying to myself, 'Wow ... this is something I need to bring back and teach my team.'" -- Bob Cymbalski, Director, Engineering, Motricity     more comments > Discussion Topics more > Managing Global Development Navigating the Planning Cycle Improving Productivity Upgrading Your SDLC Successful Leadership in Software Development Guru Management: Special Issues in Managing Technical Personnel Lessons Learned in Agile Development Driving Improved Technical Practices Who Should Attend At past Summits 95% of participants have held titles of VP, CTO, Director, or higher. Most participants will oversee the activities of at least 50-100 software personnel. All participants should have multi-project responsibility for software development at the organization or enterprise level. "Construx continues to provide a unique, relevant opportunity to interact as a peer group. Absolutely best conference, hands down." -- David Spokane, Director, Software Engineering Office, EMC   more comments > Logistics more > The Summit will be held in downtown Seattle at the Grand Hyatt, October 27-29, 2008. Participation fee is $3495. Attendees will be assigned to discussion groups based on profiles submitted prior to the Summit. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve your spot today! Registration Bonus! Register by September 15, 2008 and receive a $1000 voucher for Construx's public seminars, usable by you or anyone on your staff. Please forward this email to others who might be interested in this event. http://www.construx.com/summit/   Posted Sep 09 2008, 11:22 AM by Steve McConnell with no comments