• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

12 Essential Skills for Software Architects

 
Bartender
Posts: 962
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Author/s    : Dave Hendricksen
Publisher   : Addison-Wesley Professional
Category   : Project Management, Process and Best Practices
Review by : Vijitha Kumara
Rating        : 9 horseshoes

The book is about the non-technical skills required for the software architects in order to be successful in their role. Most of the content have been divided in to short paragraphs focussed on small sub topics which made the book an enjoyable read. And I liked the summary which briefs the content covered at the end of the each chapter with highlighted facts.

Author has done a really good job by introducing the nature of conflicts and possible results of those where architects may be exposed to when interacting with different levels/types of people (i.e.: Team members, Managers, Executives, Customers etc..) in the real world. It explains how to deal with those situations or how to avoid them in the first place if at all possible. And in some cases author's own experince in the topics explicitly stated as well.

The graphics/images/diagrams are used sparingly (i.e.: couple of them for each chapter) and wisely to give the big picture of each context. Nice to see the quotes from the industry leaders/innovators added to each chapter.

There were atleast couple of topics discussed which I personnaly dealt with in my short career so they were kind of playbacks for me while reading.
Also the topic about the "Passion" really impressed me as It really played a big part to my success so far in my career and I've had similar experience to what's explained in the book.

I beleive this is a must have book not just for software architects but anyone who is a high tech profile.

---
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review on behalf of CodeRanch.

More info at Amazon.com
 
Book Review Team
Bartender
Posts: 962
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Review by : Jeanne Boyarsky
Rating        : 10 horseshoes

"12 Essential Skills for Software Architects" covers the soft skills technical people need to advance. Parts of it are slanted towards soft skills that are specific to tech leads/architects. Other parts would fit in any soft skills book but the title gets technical folks to read it. Even for these parts, it helps that they were written by an architect as the language/writing style is easy to relate to.

The audience is architects and technical leads who want to be architects. I think it applies to any senior member of the team though. Or even someone who wants to understand what it is like to be an architect.

I could really relate to the "stateless" points as context switching is so prevalent. He has a good philosophy that architects are not managers but are part of the management team. And he explains how politics works without making it all bad. The problem is certain practices of politics not the idea itself. In fact, he quotes a definition where politics is about making decisions with a group. Nothing inherently distasteful here!

I can tell this is a book I will refer to again and again.

ps - I also like that page three has a reference to FIRST robotics - with respect to gracious behavior. (gracious professionalism in the FIRST world.)


---
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review on behalf of CodeRanch.

More info at Amazon.com
 
Consider Paul's rocket mass heater.
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic