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The Nature of Software Development
本书以简单朴素的文字和生动活泼的手绘图向读者描绘软件开发的本质，并提出大量开放式问题，引领读者思考。作者勾画出一条敏捷开发的“自然之路”，指引软件开发者从复杂中找到简单的出路。本书分为两个部分。第1部分阐述价值的循环，并分析价值的本质、如何创造和交付价值，以及如何确保软件拥有良好的设计。第二部分针对读者可能产生的疑问进行解释，内容涉及如何衡量价值、如何组建强大的团队，以及是否应该实施大规模敏捷。
176 pages, ebook
First published January 25, 2015
85 people are currently reading
1033 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 4, 2017
Here's a summary of this book: build software in small increments, ship something that works every 1-2 weeks, and always prioritize the most important and valuable increments first. There, you're done. I just saved you from reading 150 pages that don't say much beyond that one sentence.
There is other content in the book, and it does cover many of the basic aspects of agile, but it's presented in a way that, quite frankly, is not useful. All the concepts are simplified down to the point where they become truisms or tautologies ("what you want is value because value is what you want"). Every time you come across something nuanced or complicated, the author just waves it away, saying "well of course it's hard!" And there are no real-world examples, case studies, code snippets, architecture diagrams, or anything tangible to look at. All you get is a bunch of platitudes about agile and the "natural" way of doing software.
Moreover, the book uses an odd, choppy, over-simplified, conversational writing style, almost like a kids book. It also includes a number of cute sketches, so perhaps the title should be "Agile for Kids." Kids books are great, but if you're an adult, you probably won't learn much of anything from this one.
There is other content in the book, and it does cover many of the basic aspects of agile, but it's presented in a way that, quite frankly, is not useful. All the concepts are simplified down to the point where they become truisms or tautologies ("what you want is value because value is what you want"). Every time you come across something nuanced or complicated, the author just waves it away, saying "well of course it's hard!" And there are no real-world examples, case studies, code snippets, architecture diagrams, or anything tangible to look at. All you get is a bunch of platitudes about agile and the "natural" way of doing software.
Moreover, the book uses an odd, choppy, over-simplified, conversational writing style, almost like a kids book. It also includes a number of cute sketches, so perhaps the title should be "Agile for Kids." Kids books are great, but if you're an adult, you probably won't learn much of anything from this one.
February 4, 2017
I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. If you have worked and is very familiar with Agile software development, mainly using Scrum and XP, you probably will not learn much from this book. However, this is a very good book that should be read by any developer, manager, CTO, IT director out there. In very simple words and with a lot of pragmatism, Ron explains Agile software development thorough values instead of prescriptions, barely mentioning any Agile formal methodology. The last chapters, mainly on scaling Agile, are great but giving more information would spoil it.
February 22, 2025
We all want value. Value is what we want. Value is—what we want. In software, we generally get value by delivering features. Features that have value. Features that we want.
Yes, what you see above is an actual quote from this book. The book is full of platitudes and feels like an inspirational manifesto for those already well-aware of modern software development practices. I support almost all the statements made in this book. But it would be difficult to find someone steeped in software engineering who wouldn't. I didn't learn much new, nor did I feel inspired.
Yes, what you see above is an actual quote from this book. The book is full of platitudes and feels like an inspirational manifesto for those already well-aware of modern software development practices. I support almost all the statements made in this book. But it would be difficult to find someone steeped in software engineering who wouldn't. I didn't learn much new, nor did I feel inspired.
September 30, 2015
"Show us your software!" - I really likes this book. It is a treasure chest of true statements and arguments from someone who really knows. Go and read it! And as "Uncle Bob" Martin writes in the foreword of "The Nature of Software Development": "This book should be "The CTO's Guide to Professional Software Developmet." I agree.
I especially enjoyed the second part of the book which contains of notes and essays.
I especially enjoyed the second part of the book which contains of notes and essays.
August 8, 2016
This would be an excellent book 15 years ago. It is a very good and easy-to-read explanation of iterative software development, which I would recommend to my nephew (13 years) who is interested in software development.
This is *not* a book for "every CTO, every VP of engineering, every director of software, and every software team leader". If some CTO can find any new information or inspiration in this book, than it is probably the most incompetent CTO in the world.
This is *not* a book for "every CTO, every VP of engineering, every director of software, and every software team leader". If some CTO can find any new information or inspiration in this book, than it is probably the most incompetent CTO in the world.
March 26, 2015
Very controversal book. On one hand every essey, every chapter is good. Author is experienced Agile adept who spent a lots of time as a coach or agile mentor. But on the other hand most of the advices sounds like a platitude: they're reasonable but you can't follow them because there is now clear steps how to change existing situation in your current project.
July 10, 2016
I recently finished this book and it has become one of my favorite technical books.
If you already feel comfortable developing software in iterations and with high quality, this book might not change radically your way of think, but sure that it can clarify many things and allows you to understand the forces and principles behind software development.
If you still feel lost in this profession, I think that this book can help you to take a giant leap forward in your career.
Even the subtitle is pure wisdom “Keep It Simple, Make It Valuable, Build It Piece by Piece”
A must for any software developer.
If you already feel comfortable developing software in iterations and with high quality, this book might not change radically your way of think, but sure that it can clarify many things and allows you to understand the forces and principles behind software development.
If you still feel lost in this profession, I think that this book can help you to take a giant leap forward in your career.
Even the subtitle is pure wisdom “Keep It Simple, Make It Valuable, Build It Piece by Piece”
A must for any software developer.
April 19, 2015
Tato kniha si neklade za cíl zavádět nějkou novou metodiku vývoje. Místo toho se autor snaží čtenáře seznámit s postupy, které se jemu osvědčili za 50 let praxe. Tyto metody úzce souvisí s agilním přístupem. Kniha se mi moc dobře četla a je doplněná i o zajímavé ilustace. Až bude tiskem, bude jistě součástí mého vánočního balíčku knih pro oblíbené manažery. :)
May 31, 2016
You don't need this book.
"If our design is allowed to deteriorate, progress will slow. Features will cost more than they should. Unless we keep the design fresh, we’ll just get slower and slower."
Indeed.
It goes on like that throughout.
It's a huge simplification (as intended), which is why I say you don't need this book. Maybe it's one to give to your boss?
"If our design is allowed to deteriorate, progress will slow. Features will cost more than they should. Unless we keep the design fresh, we’ll just get slower and slower."
Indeed.
It goes on like that throughout.
It's a huge simplification (as intended), which is why I say you don't need this book. Maybe it's one to give to your boss?
February 4, 2017
This book is a quick, easy, and interesting read.
Unlike books on software engineering, it is not a book about processes to build software. It is definitely not about programming. It is not about best practices. Instead, the book advocates a principle to build software. While the principle in hindsight will seem obvious, we often fail to stick with it. The principle is always being value-driven: the value delivered to the users by the software (when delivered on time) should guide the development of software.
Beyond merely laying down the importance of being value-driven, the book provides convincing argument about how to be value-driven by leveraging existing methods and practices, e.g., refactoring, user stories, (A)TDD, Scrum, Agile methods. While the book prescribes more autonomy and power to development teams, it also describes the role of management in such as setting. In addition, the book introduces the term feature-by-feature development, which is exactly what it means and seems obvious when executed.
I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in software development or just building things.
You can find some of the highlights of the book at https://medium.com/me-reviews/review-...
Unlike books on software engineering, it is not a book about processes to build software. It is definitely not about programming. It is not about best practices. Instead, the book advocates a principle to build software. While the principle in hindsight will seem obvious, we often fail to stick with it. The principle is always being value-driven: the value delivered to the users by the software (when delivered on time) should guide the development of software.
Beyond merely laying down the importance of being value-driven, the book provides convincing argument about how to be value-driven by leveraging existing methods and practices, e.g., refactoring, user stories, (A)TDD, Scrum, Agile methods. While the book prescribes more autonomy and power to development teams, it also describes the role of management in such as setting. In addition, the book introduces the term feature-by-feature development, which is exactly what it means and seems obvious when executed.
I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in software development or just building things.
You can find some of the highlights of the book at https://medium.com/me-reviews/review-...
March 26, 2020
Reads quickly and like an informal essay. Provides an overview of an ideal way that software projects should run for those who are unfamiliar with running software projects. Very high level, but it's intended to help show the forest for the trees.
March 3, 2021
This is a "simple" read, in the sense that it's focused on simplicity. Yet as anyone who creates, produces, or edits anything, simplicity does not mean 'easy.' Uncovering something meaningful, yet simple, is hard. "Agile is simple," he writes, "it just isn't easy."
This is not a book of proscriptions, or methods, or ceremonies. It is a book that asks software development teams to think about how value can drive feature development, skills development, and satisfaction and happiness in projects, clients, and the developers themselves. Of particular note, Jeffries regularly asks the reader and his/her team -- how would this impact your work? What challenges might you face trying this? These simple questions drive conversations, and conversations can drive continual improvement.
Jeffries has solid advice for the advancement and training of a team; the skills and development of business-side people; "scaling" agile; and working incrementally. His notion of a 'Right Path' through a complex problem is one that many people have experienced, and in their guts, know when they aren't experiencing it and are lost. This book asks the kinds of questions that might lead a team back in from the woods. Recommended.
This is not a book of proscriptions, or methods, or ceremonies. It is a book that asks software development teams to think about how value can drive feature development, skills development, and satisfaction and happiness in projects, clients, and the developers themselves. Of particular note, Jeffries regularly asks the reader and his/her team -- how would this impact your work? What challenges might you face trying this? These simple questions drive conversations, and conversations can drive continual improvement.
Jeffries has solid advice for the advancement and training of a team; the skills and development of business-side people; "scaling" agile; and working incrementally. His notion of a 'Right Path' through a complex problem is one that many people have experienced, and in their guts, know when they aren't experiencing it and are lost. This book asks the kinds of questions that might lead a team back in from the woods. Recommended.
Read
February 21, 2023I recently read "The Nature of Software Development" by Ron Jeffries and found it to be a valuable resource for anyone involved in software development. As someone who is relatively new to the industry, I appreciated the author's emphasis on simplicity and his focus on creating value in projects.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was the author's discussion of offshore mobile application development. As someone who has worked with teams in different countries, I found his insights on communication and collaboration to be very helpful. He stresses the importance of clear communication and establishing trust with your offshore team, as well as being aware of cultural differences that may impact the project.
Overall, I found this book to be a practical guide that is applicable to anyone working in software development, whether you're a developer, manager, or executive. The author's emphasis on continual improvement and his pragmatic approach make this a valuable resource that I would recommend to anyone in the industry.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was the author's discussion of offshore mobile application development. As someone who has worked with teams in different countries, I found his insights on communication and collaboration to be very helpful. He stresses the importance of clear communication and establishing trust with your offshore team, as well as being aware of cultural differences that may impact the project.
Overall, I found this book to be a practical guide that is applicable to anyone working in software development, whether you're a developer, manager, or executive. The author's emphasis on continual improvement and his pragmatic approach make this a valuable resource that I would recommend to anyone in the industry.
September 2, 2022
Felt like I was reading some idealized manifesto written by an alien cult leader... so that was fun. No examples of anything, which is quite annoying. Some vaguely amusing pictures, though?
June 10, 2015
I really enjoyed the approach Jeffries took in this book. It consists in small and clear chapters, with illustrations, to clarify Jeffries' take on a better way to develop software. Essentially, it's a reflection from someone with half a century of experience. It is written on purpose in a simple and clear way. It might be a quick read, but please give it time to reflect and let the ideas sink in. I recommend everyone involved with software to read at least the 1st part.
February 11, 2017
The One Book
If you read only one book on "Agile" it should be this one!
Moreover if you're NOT a software developer, yet depend on software development you REALLY should read this book. That is CxOs, managers, business people, project managers, ...
Ron is perhaps the best person currently living on our planet at explaining this topic in simple terms without losing any of the important truths.
If you read only one book on "Agile" it should be this one!
Moreover if you're NOT a software developer, yet depend on software development you REALLY should read this book. That is CxOs, managers, business people, project managers, ...
Ron is perhaps the best person currently living on our planet at explaining this topic in simple terms without losing any of the important truths.
December 1, 2014
A concise restatement and discussion of the Agile Manifesto (http://agilemanifesto.org) by one of the original authors. If you have done any software development using the Scrum methodology, this book will be an eye-opener as often the underlying principles of Agile are lost in the extra process and ceremony of Scrum.
November 12, 2016
This book contains good advice for software developer and especially people working with them.
The author tries to explain in a simple and concise way how to build and grow a software product.
I think this book is a good introduction to methodologies like XP and Agile. It shows them as a way to build good software and not as a religion (a common misconception these days).
The author tries to explain in a simple and concise way how to build and grow a software product.
I think this book is a good introduction to methodologies like XP and Agile. It shows them as a way to build good software and not as a religion (a common misconception these days).
April 3, 2018
As to me this book can compliment 'Agile Retrospectives' by Esther Derby very well. While the latter one will teach you how to set up an environment for learning, this one will help with questions to discuss.
March 30, 2015
If you are familiar with iterative, feature driven, agile, xp or scrum development, there is nothing new in this book.
June 1, 2015
A quick read. Nothing spectacularly new or exciting, but a good summary of what it means to be Agile.
April 19, 2018
A gentle introduction to organization of software development.
June 10, 2023
Theory to the Exclusion of Practicality
I am sure somewhere, someone lauds this book as the pinnacle of software development. I am sure that somewhere this has helped people and companies produce software that is valuable and quality.
I even liked the first half of the book for the most part. It’s when he starts transitioning from guideline to dogma that it feels cheap and ignorant of all the scenarios that don’t fit into the box he is building to say “Look at me! I’m right.”
The reality is that if it were this easy, if software engineers and business professionals and infrastructure teams, and IT operations, and marketing and sales, could all agree, this is effective at working, if it were truly the best way to do things there wouldn’t be a discussion.
The problem is he is making a one-size-fits-all garment having never seen petite or plus-size bodies and the handful of times he mentions “this may not work for everyone“ he does it in a patronizing, “I don’t really believe that, but I’m saying it so that you don’t think I’m arrogant” sort of way.
As simplistic and idealistic, as his view is, the execution is orders of magnitude, more difficult, especially when considering the transition from non-agile development ways and practices to agile ones. The business mentality is not so easily shifted by such cutesy drawings and broadly painted strokes of theory.
I wanted to like this book more, but it feels like a badly written, high school, persuasive essay with a teacher, lets you pick your own topic and you go with what you’re passionate about, whether or not, you can find evidence and sources to back it up.
The fact that he was one of the original writers of the Agile Manifesto only becomes clear when he starts quoting it, principle-by-principle, to defend his arguments in the very final pages of the book like a self-confident Evangelical citing chapter & verse when you haven’t even agreed on the source of authority for what you’re arguing about.
I am sure somewhere, someone lauds this book as the pinnacle of software development. I am sure that somewhere this has helped people and companies produce software that is valuable and quality.
I even liked the first half of the book for the most part. It’s when he starts transitioning from guideline to dogma that it feels cheap and ignorant of all the scenarios that don’t fit into the box he is building to say “Look at me! I’m right.”
The reality is that if it were this easy, if software engineers and business professionals and infrastructure teams, and IT operations, and marketing and sales, could all agree, this is effective at working, if it were truly the best way to do things there wouldn’t be a discussion.
The problem is he is making a one-size-fits-all garment having never seen petite or plus-size bodies and the handful of times he mentions “this may not work for everyone“ he does it in a patronizing, “I don’t really believe that, but I’m saying it so that you don’t think I’m arrogant” sort of way.
As simplistic and idealistic, as his view is, the execution is orders of magnitude, more difficult, especially when considering the transition from non-agile development ways and practices to agile ones. The business mentality is not so easily shifted by such cutesy drawings and broadly painted strokes of theory.
I wanted to like this book more, but it feels like a badly written, high school, persuasive essay with a teacher, lets you pick your own topic and you go with what you’re passionate about, whether or not, you can find evidence and sources to back it up.
The fact that he was one of the original writers of the Agile Manifesto only becomes clear when he starts quoting it, principle-by-principle, to defend his arguments in the very final pages of the book like a self-confident Evangelical citing chapter & verse when you haven’t even agreed on the source of authority for what you’re arguing about.
November 24, 2019
Short, simple and gets the point across.
If you are familiar with agile methodologies this book will be basically a confirmation of what you may already know. A very high-level overview of the software development process, and a correct one in my opinion. I only wish it was a little bit longer and more detailed.
The key points of this book are very good: "Show us the software", "be ready to ship at all times", "let developers manage their work", "no long term detailed planning". These are some examples, but overall the book focuses on making teams where developers are motivated, happy and productive.
Developers reading this book might feel bored by the oversimplification of anything technical, but with that, this book becomes a perfect read for the business side (or non-technical) folk who wish to better understand the software development process.
Despite not being a full-blown 5 star to me, it's a must-read for tech workers.
If you are familiar with agile methodologies this book will be basically a confirmation of what you may already know. A very high-level overview of the software development process, and a correct one in my opinion. I only wish it was a little bit longer and more detailed.
The key points of this book are very good: "Show us the software", "be ready to ship at all times", "let developers manage their work", "no long term detailed planning". These are some examples, but overall the book focuses on making teams where developers are motivated, happy and productive.
Developers reading this book might feel bored by the oversimplification of anything technical, but with that, this book becomes a perfect read for the business side (or non-technical) folk who wish to better understand the software development process.
Despite not being a full-blown 5 star to me, it's a must-read for tech workers.
January 20, 2024
Many of the 'techniques' mentioned in this book are already familiar to me and they are a part of my work routine for the past two years.
The book serves more as a reminder of those practices.
For instance:
- Whenever you ship a new feature, make sure that the old features are still working. Heh:) Is it simple? - Yes. Is it easy? - No.
- The importance of breaking down big features into smaller tasks. (To be honest, nothing groundbreaking, but often forgotten.)
I learned that Ron Jeffries is one of the 17 authors of the Agile Manifesto. One of its methodologies, Scrum, is what we use in the company to organize our work. The main reminder here is not to forget about the most valuable aspects of Scrum. It's not so much about 2-week sprint planning and micromanagement but rather about self-discipline and self-organization.
While the book didn't introduce many new concepts to me, it's a good, easy read.
The book serves more as a reminder of those practices.
For instance:
- Whenever you ship a new feature, make sure that the old features are still working. Heh:) Is it simple? - Yes. Is it easy? - No.
- The importance of breaking down big features into smaller tasks. (To be honest, nothing groundbreaking, but often forgotten.)
I learned that Ron Jeffries is one of the 17 authors of the Agile Manifesto. One of its methodologies, Scrum, is what we use in the company to organize our work. The main reminder here is not to forget about the most valuable aspects of Scrum. It's not so much about 2-week sprint planning and micromanagement but rather about self-discipline and self-organization.
While the book didn't introduce many new concepts to me, it's a good, easy read.
February 9, 2020
For those in Software Development or the teams who run them
I am not a software developer, but I work with a team of developer sin my company. This was required reading. I was a little skeptical as to why I needed to read this. Although, after reading, it provided insight as to what these teams really go through day in and day out, with iteration of code and what’s next on their to do list. I like my fiction, but for being a story on development, this was really good.
There wasn’t any technical garb in this book, but it did allow you to understand what it takes to build out a feature for a product and how the teams are constructed to make that feature work within the company structure.
I would highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to join a team as a developer or even one who will be working with a team of developers.
I am not a software developer, but I work with a team of developer sin my company. This was required reading. I was a little skeptical as to why I needed to read this. Although, after reading, it provided insight as to what these teams really go through day in and day out, with iteration of code and what’s next on their to do list. I like my fiction, but for being a story on development, this was really good.
There wasn’t any technical garb in this book, but it did allow you to understand what it takes to build out a feature for a product and how the teams are constructed to make that feature work within the company structure.
I would highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to join a team as a developer or even one who will be working with a team of developers.
October 2, 2022
Got a recommendation to read this book by the project manager of the outsourced Dedicated Development Team. I work with in my start-up. Probably because they got tired of answering all my ""Why"" and ""Why not"" questions. The book itself is definitely a good reading and provides enough level of detail for a business person. But may be a bit too obvious for those who work with iterative development and agile on daily basis.
August 26, 2019
¿Qué debería hacer el software que construímos? aportar valor, todo el rato.
En este libro se explica cómo conseguir esto, aportar valor todo el tiempo, feature a feature, y tener feedback continuo para saber si lo estamos haciendo bien o debemos pivotar, cómo se deberían formar los equipos, estimar, aplicar agile... en resumen como debería funcionar todo el engranaje que construye software.
Show me de software!
En este libro se explica cómo conseguir esto, aportar valor todo el tiempo, feature a feature, y tener feedback continuo para saber si lo estamos haciendo bien o debemos pivotar, cómo se deberían formar los equipos, estimar, aplicar agile... en resumen como debería funcionar todo el engranaje que construye software.
Show me de software!
January 23, 2023
The nature of software development is a fun one, short and sweet. It touches enormous concepts, but it sometimes makes them seem like they aren’t a big deal, making some very large oversimplifications.
I do like this book because the flow of the book goes in a direction from start to finish on how to develop good software, and I do agree with the path.
I recommend it; applying it is more complex than just reading this book tho
I do like this book because the flow of the book goes in a direction from start to finish on how to develop good software, and I do agree with the path.
I recommend it; applying it is more complex than just reading this book tho
December 26, 2023
I’m glad that I perused “The Nature of Software Development” book authored by Ron Jeffries. It is such a precious resource for folks who have a deep interest in software development or actually practice the same. If someone is new to the software development world, they will like the author’s emphasis on the minimalist approach and huge attention to creating value in every project.
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