Secrets of Software Success: Management Insights from 100 Software Firms Around the World
Author: Detlev J. Hoch, Cyriac R. Roeding, Gert Purkert, Sandro K. Kindner, Ralph Muller
List Price: $27.50
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ISBN: 1578511054
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (January, 2000)
Sales Rank: 81,288
Average Customer Rating: 3.94 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
I Expected More from Mc Kinsey
As I read through the book, I kept waiting for the authors to unveil a secret to software success. As I reached the halfway point it occurred to me that there would be none. At least not for anyone that is already in the business. To set expectations, this book would be better suited to a reader from outside the industry.For these readers, this well-written report adeptly summarizes knowledge gained from previously printed materials and personal interviews with the people that matter. Unfortunately, this access may have come at a price. The authors gloss over failures and accent the positive moves by these companies to such an extent that the reader may come away with a success-biased view of the software development business.
Rating: 5 out of 5
How to Survive as a Snowball in Hell
What does it take to thrive in an industry where "more than 60% of companies that make it to IPO eventually go bankrupt or create very little value"? Five young German business consultants decided they needed to know urgently, and have come up with some original conclusions. Not only are the winners significantly different from the also-rans, they are significantly different from successful companies in other industries. The book reads as though the the five authors split up the task of the book between them, and some sections are stronger than others. Whoever did the hard research and formed the major conclusions did a thorough and superb job - the reason for the five stars. The chapter on the technical aspects of producing good products were mostly derivative of Steve McConnell (" Software Project Survival Guide") and Fred Brooks ("Mythical Man Month"). The section on what it takes to attract good employees bordered on the silly, and the thumbnail sketches of such corporations as SAP, Baan and Platinum were uncritical to the point of reading like recruiting brochures. Who would I recommend the book to? Certainly, anybody who's thinking of starting a software company. I'd also recommend it to anyone wanting to invest in hi-tech, and any software professional who's job-hunting. Personally, I'm going to mail my copy to Judge Penfield Jackson.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Excellent book by Hoch of McKinsey
Secrets of Software Success goes beyond the dry research papers that appear in the McKinsey Quarterly. Several consultants took upshots from 450 executives and laid them out in a concise and applicable manner. The authors reveal traits that could be implemented at any industry. Software consulting firms lead the industry in customer service and spend 78% of their advertising budget marketing their company name. We see so many software start ups as 95% is intangible capital. Partnerships are used to make up for gaps. Most companies make decisions quickly as they are based on a flat team-based organizational structure. Besides stock options, their culture has successfully overcome factors such as a variety of work styles and high turnover. Almost all companies do daily builds as stress causes 40% of all software errors and late fixes in design could cost 200 times an immediate fix. To conclude, a must read for anyone who wants to be a part of the digitized future. Similar Products
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Book Index