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| Useful Reading Material – Part 2 | ||
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first part of this article mentioned both magazines and books that I often
recommend to people. The book topics were that of technical and project
management issues. This second part covers books about management, running
your business and other issues, as well as mentioning places to find books. Management: "Knights of the Tele-Round Table" This book illustrates the problems of managing remote teams. It puts the central character into a book-long conversation with King Arthur. Even though this sounds corny, this is a terrific book. Having worked on remote teams myself, I recognized many of the situations in this book. Those inexperienced with this situation may scoff at some of the problems listed, but most of these problems are fairly common. My caveat is that this book is the corniest business book I’ve read. That said, it illustrates the issues so well that I’ll suggest reading it anyway. This book has been updated and is now titled, “Virtual Leadership.” Kostener, Jaclyn, PhD., Warner Books, 1994. "Understanding the Professional Programmer" Do you manage programmers? If you manage a large LIMS project, you probably answered, “Yes.” Do they befuddle you? If you answered, “Yes,” to that too, then this is the book for you. This book discusses how programmers’ minds tend to work, and how programmers can be more professional. This is a book for both you and your programmers to read together. Weinberg, Gerald M., Dorset House Publishing, 1988. "Peopleware" Although the Dilbert cartoons illustrate the silly things that we do to our project teams, this book does the same, but with a focus on pointing out what we could change to make them happier and more productive. DeMarco, Tom, and Lister, Timothy, Dorset House Publishing, 1987. "Managing Technical Professionals: Crossing the Swamp" This book attempts to dispel the myth that the management of one type of worker is like that of any other. It asserts that managing technical professionals is unique and details why this is so. Stein, Richard J., Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1993. "The PeopleWare Papers: Notes on the Human Side of Software" Software is not just about computers, but about the people who create it. This book is a collection of the author’s articles on the subject. What is especially handy about this book is that it is easy to skip around and read the sections you are most interested in without getting too out-of-context, although a few articles refer to others in the book. Not only will you find confirmation of things you already know, such as the idea that software professionals are “better at criticizing than being criticized” (p. 53), but many gems that you probably have not thought of before, as well. Constantine, Larry, L., Prentice Hall, 2001. Running Your Business: A number of people who receive this newsletter are involved in the business side of LIMS. These books are for those people, but some of the rest of you may find them useful, too. "Make Sure You Get Paid and Other Business Basics." Not long ago, I was asked to write two book reviews of this book. (As a side note, I’ll admit it’s nifty getting a book stamped “Advance Copy.”) I thought this book would cover getting invoices paid on time and other such matters. It does cover those issues, but it also has a wealth of information checking a potential employee’s or consultant’s background and credentials when you’re interviewing them, discouraging employee theft, among many other topics. Huval, Bonnie, Llumina Press, 2003. "Patent, Copyright and Trademark: A Desk Reference to Intellectual Property Law" This book is just terrific! When I was finished, I was convinced that I entirely understood these legal issues. For anyone who deals with these subjects, this is the book to read before you look for a lawyer. You will still probably need a lawyer, but you’ll be better prepared for your meeting. Elias, Stephen and Goldoftas, Lisa, Nolo Press, 1996. Note: If you need information on any legal issues, Nolo Press (www.nolo.com) publishes books on a variety of legal topics, all meant to be read and understood by those of us who aren’t lawyers. Not only do I have good things to say about the “Patent, Copyright and Trademark” book that I’ve read, but colleagues of mine rave about their other legal books, as well. Others: These books don’t fall into the other categories, but are worth taking a look at. "The Invisible Computer" This book is devoted to illustrating why our computer applications are so difficult for our end-users to employ. If you have recently seen users roll their eyes at you when you told them something was “easy” because it only required hitting Cntl/Alt/Enter while standing on their heads in the moonlight, you may want to consider reading this. This is more of a “big picture” book, but referring to it helps me remember that what our users need is not more technology, but more usable applications. Norman, Donald A., The MIT Press, 1998. "The Smart Way to Buy Information Technology" This book outlines the entire process of buying information technology in a way that finally makes sense to me. I especially liked part 1 on “Why Information Technology Buying Mistakes Happen” and part 3 on “Contracting.” My favorite part of the entire book was the concept of “Quiet Enjoyment” (pp. 167, 206) for contracts, which indicates that if you are following the rules of the contract, the vendor can’t come and “disrupt your operations.” (p. 206) Peterson, Brad L., and Carco, Diane M., Amacom – American Management Association, 1998. "Information Technology’s Writing Survival Guide" This book covers a wide variety of topics, including grammar, formatting, and the issue of writing for printed publications versus online ones. Hoyt, Patricia A., White Feather Press, 2002. Places to Find Books I still prefer to purchase books at bookstores so I can look through the book section and read the dustcovers first. For East Coasters, Quantum Books (www.quantumbooks.com) in Cambridge, MA, has a wide variety of technically oriented books, including books on the management of technology, for example. On the West Coast, those in Portland, OR, can visit the massive Powell’s (www.powells.com), which has a large section of technical books to peruse. Of course, you can always look at Amazon (www.amazon.com), as well. If you want books on “soft” skills, such as management or people skills, take a look at the American Management Association (www.amanet.org) publications. For other personal and professional development books, you might check National Seminars (www.natsem.com) or SkillPath Seminars (www.skillpath.com), who sell books on their topics, as well as seminars. |
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