Hey guys, I need a urgent crash course on software development. We are about to start a major project at work. The project is a huge web application and I have been chosen to lead the team. The problem now is, I am not familiar with the software development process. The way I used to go about my development is think it and do it, but now I won't be able to do that because I have to collaborate with others. I will very much appreciate if someone can help with a link to a crash course. Thanks.
+6
A:
Bug tracking, source control and code reviews are your friend. You might want to read Agile Software Development and adapt some of those processes to your needs.
Byron Whitlock
2009-12-02 18:29:21
Best answer here (IMNSHO) for that first sentence. Get that stuff working, and working well, and you've definitely started off on the right foot. Without it, you're making your life much more difficult in the long run (and probably even in the medium to short run.)
Beska
2009-12-02 18:39:17
+1
A:
You want to look at Construx. It's owned by Steve McConnell, the author of Code Complete.
You'll probably want to read Rapid Development.
Kevin
2009-12-02 18:30:04
+3
A:
First, what methodology are you using? That can determine a number of things as if your company uses a Waterfall approach or an Agile approach there can be different points that I'd put into a crash course.
"Software Development Life Cycle" can be useful for a high-level view of what you'll need.
JB King
2009-12-02 18:31:50
A:
Hi IndexController
Firstly, good luck with your forthcoming major project.
1) Do you want to do this project if you feel you need a crash course?
2) If yes to the above, are there any rock star project managers you know internally or externally you could beg/borrow/contract time from?
Sounds like fun!
Cheers
Dave
2009-12-02 18:36:48
A:
I strongly recommend to do usability tests as soon as possible in the process and as many as possible.
You don't need a lot of resources to accomplish this and you can take 3-4 web users and do a 1 hour session with each. Doing usability tests will help you to see your web application from a "user" perspective. And it will help you in taking decisions.
I recommend reading "Don't make me think" by Steve Krug, a short and focused book on web usability.
Here is his site where you can read 3 chapters about doing usability test and their importance: Sensible.com
Leon
2009-12-02 18:38:02
+1
A:
A couple of good sources of reading and research to check out are
Agile Unified Process which gives some insight into the overall structure of Agile, the process and what are the roles and responsibilities. There are a number of good essays which Scott Ambler has written.
Alistair Cockburn & Crystal Clear Methodology - information on the key factors in a methodology. In fact if you do a google search for Alistair Cockburn you can even locate his PhD thesis which forms the basis of the crystal clear methodology.
Joel on Software - is a great source for reading about projects, software development. In particular check out the readings on the estimation model and how it relates to the project planning.
*Overall I'd say that you are embarking on a major project. What is going to be key is the communication with the other team members. Exploring what tasks and activities they are working on, the road blocks and achievements will assist.
Most of these sources will provide a lot of information. Try to break the planning into simple tasks and it may help to use your planning/process on a small pilot part of the project otherwise you could become swamped with project overload.
My simple rule - "carbon life-forms will give you more grief than the silicon based ones !"
Grant Sayer
2009-12-08 10:20:36