Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice for the Front-Line Manager

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Summary: A sound and "reader friendly" primer
Review: Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice For The Front-Line Manager by Nic Peeling is a practical survival guide for the tenacious transition of learning how to become a manager. Ranging from practical advice on determining salaries; to handling key team members, under-performing team members, and low-value, high-maintenance team members; to various project management styles and roles; and more, Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management is a sound and "reader friendly" primer which is particularly recommended for the novice manager.

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Summary: Management wisdom that all managers can use
Review: I have done my share of manager bashing, both those I have worked under and in IT in general. However, in their defense, a manager of software development has one of the most difficult jobs there is. To be successful, not only do they have to understand the mundane details of filling in the forms, kissing the appropriate body parts of superiors and all the other details of greasing the process, but they also must know a great deal about software development. Developers are also a difficult group to handle, while some of it is on the par of an urban legend, the stories of their quirks and eccentricities are only slightly exaggerated. Finally, the range of skills between developers is probably greater than that in any other area. Some anecdotal evidence is that the best are thirty times better than the worst, but the most believable is that the ratio is ten times better. Given all this baggage, no wonder managers are strained and they are blamed for project failures.
While Peeling has a doctorate in computing and is a manager of software developers, most of the advice can also be applied to other managerial scenarios. Independent of the context, it all comes down to the people being managed and what they can do. Even though one can buy new tools and go through many gyrations to reduce cost, the best way to increase the numbers on the bottom line is to get more out of the current human assets. That does not always mean working them more hours, but getting more out of the hours they work. Peeling describes many ways to do this, demonstrating a practical sense that all good managers possess in abundance. The best managers know when to mold 'em and know when to scold 'em and Peeling is clearly an expert in making that type of choice.
Managers that understand the psychology of developers and the technical details of what they do are very rare, and Nic Peeling is a member of that group. In this book, he passes on some of that wisdom, and all managers can benefit from reading it.

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Summary: Why has no-one written something like this before?
Review: It does 'exactly what it says on the tin' - giving practical and down to earth advice for managers, whilst insightfully highlighting the main issues.

Essential reading for new and experienced managers. My only question is why has no-one written something like this before?