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Rating: 
Summary: A well-written, if brief, practical book.
Review: I would agree with the previous reader's comments. This is a very well written, readable book which explores the subject of RAD using the DSDM framework. The author has taken a very practical stance when writing the book with many references to real-life accounts of project failure/success & as such ensures the book is a useful companion for the practising DSDM project manager (or manager-to-be). If I had a complaint it would be that the book is a tad light on content and some of the case studies have been written by the external systems houses who have used DSDM on projects they feel went well - hence, one gets the impression that in some cases the accounts are a little biased, and have been used to promote the respective companies' abilities. However, the case study of (the then) British Telecom is very interesting in that it covers a pilot DSDM project and refers to social/organisational/political pressures and how these might be avoided. I should also add that the book is endorsed by the DSDM Consortium & is written by the Chairman of its Technical Work Group. I would recommend this book to anyone considering moving into RAD, or anyone who has tried RAD and found it didn't quite work - chances are you'll discover why it failed when you read the book...
Rating:
Summary: Great info
Review: The topics are very interesting - and the book has lot of nice information. An eye-opener really! But, in writing style it just misses an inch to get 5 stars from me (so here I personally disagree with the previous 2 reviewers).
Rating: 
Summary: Short, concise, well structured introduction to DSDM
Review: This is a book which the RAD project manager or project leader cannot do without. The method also seems to have an ideal fit with OO techniques. Anyone planning to start using UML or OMT in their projects should at least concider reading this book to help provide a framework for project planning and control. The first part of the book contains a short, concise description of the DSDM method. Each chapter describes a well structured set of issues and ends with a short summary of the important points. What is presented is a method which covers the whole software development cycle from feasability to production and the management structures required to achive this. The second part of the book contains case studies of DSDM projects, which highlight problems, pitfalls, limitations and some solutions. Experienced project personnel can 'feel' the problems described in the texts. DSDM is a method specifically for Software development, but it encapsulates a series of 'framework' concepts for process management. Some of these concepts can be used to control the delivery of any time cricical product or service. This is probably the most important book on this subject since James Martins' RAD.
Rating:
Summary: Agile Method/Frame work with a real business focus
Review: Today, so many Agile Methods make extraordinary claims. This book gives you an idea of the real world common sense business focus that is encapsulated within this international non-profit consortium's development framework (the framework is a little more than just a method). This book doesn't contain the entire framework and can be used as a primer for DSDM or to augment the actual DSDM manual (which you must become a member at ...to access.) The Agile Method movement is remarkable and many of the Agile Method's mainstays, such as Extreme Programming, apply a high degree of discipline with real agility to build quality software (measured by defects, not by fit for purpose). DSDM, FDD, and Lean Development are the only major Agile Methods (I am aware of) that have that all-important focus on creating only high-value benefits to the customer (fit for purpose is my preferred measure of quality). Most of the other methods do what they do very well which is to provide a rapid and agile way to write software. DSDM is commonly used with a development shop's existing methods or to wrap around XP or other development methods to add scalability, control, and predictability all at a lower cost for the highest value solutions. This book provides only a little guidance on how this is done. The new DSDM Manual version 4.2 does provide substantial guidance in this area, but you must be a member at ...to access it. Yes, I am an advocate and practitioner of DSDM and a developer and project manager of over 10 years. This book is a must have companion to any DSDM practitioner or for anyone who wants to learn a new paradigm (even if you already understand Agile). As demonstrated in this book, no software is built in a vacuum; all stakeholders must be involved in creating the solution. This implies politics, culture, resources, obstacles, etc. In this book, I would like to have seen more demonstration of DSDM's incorporation and synergy with the other methods. I recommend all of the books on Agile Software Development in general, but for the DSDM practitioner I recommend they read the free documentation about XP on the Agile Alliance web site ...and buy a copy of "Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers"
by Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck
Rating:
Summary: Agile Method/Frame work with a real business focus
Review: Today, so many Agile Methods make extraordinary claims. This book gives you an idea of the real world common sense business focus that is encapsulated within this international non-profit consortium's development framework (the framework is a little more than just a method). This book doesn't contain the entire framework and can be used as a primer for DSDM or to augment the actual DSDM manual (which you must become a member at ...to access.) The Agile Method movement is remarkable and many of the Agile Method's mainstays, such as Extreme Programming, apply a high degree of discipline with real agility to build quality software (measured by defects, not by fit for purpose). DSDM, FDD, and Lean Development are the only major Agile Methods (I am aware of) that have that all-important focus on creating only high-value benefits to the customer (fit for purpose is my preferred measure of quality). Most of the other methods do what they do very well which is to provide a rapid and agile way to write software. DSDM is commonly used with a development shop's existing methods or to wrap around XP or other development methods to add scalability, control, and predictability all at a lower cost for the highest value solutions. This book provides only a little guidance on how this is done. The new DSDM Manual version 4.2 does provide substantial guidance in this area, but you must be a member at ...to access it. Yes, I am an advocate and practitioner of DSDM and a developer and project manager of over 10 years. This book is a must have companion to any DSDM practitioner or for anyone who wants to learn a new paradigm (even if you already understand Agile). As demonstrated in this book, no software is built in a vacuum; all stakeholders must be involved in creating the solution. This implies politics, culture, resources, obstacles, etc. In this book, I would like to have seen more demonstration of DSDM's incorporation and synergy with the other methods. I recommend all of the books on Agile Software Development in general, but for the DSDM practitioner I recommend they read the free documentation about XP on the Agile Alliance web site ...and buy a copy of "Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers"
by Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck
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