Antipatterns: Identification, Refactoring, and Management

by Phillip A. LaPlante, Colin J. Neill

Identification, Refactoring, and Management catalogs 48 bad management practices and environments common to software development, IT, and other organizations. The authors cover antipatterns of management, along with environmental/cultural antipatterns and personality antipatterns/phenotypes. Through the classification of these harmful practices, you will be able to correctly identify problems in your own work environment, and take action to correct them. The authors apply their extensive work and consultative experience, as well as the experience of the many professionals that they have known. This approach leads to a realistic treatment of antipattern concepts. Written for a wide audience of practitioners, the authors avoid a scholarly style, instead infusing the text with entertaining “gadgets,” including rambunctious and ribald sidebars, cartoons, stories, and jokes, as well as names for their antipatterns that are at once visual, iconic, humorous, and memorable. Following introductory material describing some management theory and how humans behave individually and in groups, the text provides the catalog of management and environmental antipatterns. The book then offers general advice on overcoming bad practices through successful interaction with clients, customers, peers, supervisors, and subordinates.

Genres: Nonfiction, Programming, Management, Leadership, Business

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2005

Reviews

[Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre, dumbed-down book on management styles which don't work, framed in terms of antipatterns (flawed attempts at solving common problems) and how to refactor them (overcome the flaws). The solutions were unhelpful, and usually amounted to one of, "learn to live with it," "leave the company," or the supremely unhelpful, "don't do that." The authors try to be funny and usually fail, and have a bad habit of quoting Steven Covey and reality TV shows. Criticisms aside, it was at times interesting to read about flawed management techniques that are commonly found. Sometimes it evoked, "are there really managers that are like that??" The less surprising ones were reassuring to know that it's not just me--the poor management styles I've experienced in the past really are common, and known among management experts to be flawed.

[Henrique Lobo Weissmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este livro é um achado e não entendo como é tão pouco conhecido.

Sabe aquelas coisas que você vê ocorrerem ao seu redor, sabe que não estão certas mas não consegue descrever? Muito provavelmente está descrito neste livro, que caracteriza problemas de gestão em padrões, exatamente como fazemos com os padrões de projeto em desenvolvimento de sistemas.

É uma leitura riquíssima, e recomendo pra qualquer um que se sente incomodado no trabalho e não entende o por quê.

[Steve Whiting · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you might guess from the title, this is a book which catalogues a series of anti-patterns, ie patterns of behaviour and organisation which produce negative results, and then tries to identify ways of breaking down, diverting, mitigating or counteracting the unwelcome behaviour.

It's largely successful - some of the sections feel like they've been created by hair-splitting differences from others, but overall it's a collection of mostly good insight and mostly good advice.

[Topilno]

Creating Web Pages for Dummies

[Swarup Kanti Gupta]

A very lucid book on common mistakes in corporate world. I found all of them is quite valid and interesting. A very practical book, written in rather funny way.