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10x Software Development

Numerous studies have found 10:1 differences in productivity and quality among individuals and even among teams. This blog contains Steve McConnell's thoughts about how to move toward the "10" side of that 10:1 ratio. Add to Technorati Favorites

New White Papers

We've recently posted a few new white papers on our website, along with some existing papers. These are free to members (and membership is free).

10 Keys to Successful Scrum Adoption
Scrum is a project management approach for Agile software development and is the most commonly adopted Agile approach in the industry today. Construx has worked with hundreds of organizations to implement Agile approaches including Scrum. We have helped numerous organizations to adopt the core principles of Scrum and to adapt it based on their unique situations and challenges. This paper discusses ten keys to successful Scrum adoption identified during our consulting and training work with clients. www.construx.com/whitepapers

Optimizing Agile for Your Organization
Many organizations are interested in becoming Agile but wonder where to start. They want to ensure that their Agile adoption will achieve the desired benefits, goals, and objectives. This white paper will outline the major organization, cultural, and project considerations that are critical to a successful Agile adoption. It provides a starting point that works for most projects and organizations. www.construx.com/whitepapers

Managing Technical Debt
"Technical Debt" refers to delayed technical work that is incurred when technical short cuts are taken,
usually in pursuit of calendar-driven software schedules. Just like financial debt, some technical
debts can serve valuable business purposes. Other technical debts are simply counterproductive.
The ability to take on debt safely, track their debt, manage their debt, and pay down their debt varies among different organizations. Explicit decision making before taking on debt and more explicit tracking of debt are advised. www.construx.com/whitepapers

Software Development's Classic Mistakes 2008
Construx's Chief Software Engineer/CEO, Steve McConnell, introduced the concept of software
development's classic mistakes in his book Rapid Development. He defined "classic mistakes" as
mistakes that have been made so often, by so many people, that the consequences of making
these mistakes should be predictable and the mistakes themselves should be avoidable.
This whitepaper is the result of a survey of Approximately 500 software practitioners to determine
the frequency and severity of common software development mistakes. www.construx.com/whitepapers

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About Steve McConnell

Steve McConnell is CEO and Chief Software Engineer at Construx Software where he writes books and articles, teaches classes, and oversees Construx’s software development practices. Steve is the author of Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art (2006), Code Complete (1993, 2004), Rapid Development (1996), Software Project Survival Guide (1998), and Professional Software Development (2004). His first two books won Software Development magazine's Jolt Excellence award for best programming books of their years.

Steve has worked in the desktop software industry since 1984 and has expertise in rapid development methodologies, project estimation, software construction practices, and third-party contract management. In 1998, readers of Software Development magazine named Steve one of the three most influential people in the software industry along with Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds. Steve was Editor in Chief of IEEE Software magazine from 1998-2002.

Steve is on the Panel of Experts that advises the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) project and was Chair of the IEEE Computer Society’s Professional Practices Committee. Steve earned a Bachelor’s degree from Whitman College and a Master’s degree in software engineering from Seattle University. Read more about Steve at www.stevemcconnell.com.

Seminars           www.Construx.com           Consulting