Professional Software Development: Shorter Schedules, Better Projects, Superior Products, Enhanced Careers. 241 pages, Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2004. Retail price: $29.99. ISBN: 0321193679. Buy PSD  from Amazon.com.

Overview 

Software development can be predictable, controllable, economical, and manageable. Software isn’t usually developed that way, but it can be developed that way. This book is about the emerging profession of software engineering—and professional software practices that support economical creation of high-quality software.

For readers of After the Gold Rush, PSD serves as a de facto 2d edition of that book. PSD contains significantly revised and updated content and numerous new essays. 

Contents [pdf]

Introduction [pdf]

I The Software Tarpit

1                    Wrestling with Dinosaurs [pdf]

2                    Fool’s Gold [pdf]

3                    Cargo Cult Software Engineering [pdf]

4                    Software Engineering, Not Computer Science [pdf]

5                    Body of Knowledge [pdf]

6                    Novum Organum [pdf]

II Individual Professionalism

7                    Orphans Preferred [pdf]

8                    Raising Your Software Consciousness

9                    Building the Community

10                Architects and Carpenters

11                Programmer Writing [pdf]

III Organizational Professionalism

12                Software Gold Rushes [pdf]

13                Business Case for Better Software Practices [pdf]

14                Ptolemaic Reasoning

15                Quantifying Personnel Factors

16                Construx’s Professional Development Program

IV Industry Professionalism

17                Engineering a Profession [pdf]

18                Hard Knocks

19                Stinking Badges

20                The Professional’s Code

21                Alchemy

Index [pdf]