Joel on Software

Rated:

A Book for Anyone Working on Software

In this book Joel discusses what it takes to manage and run a successful software company. While this information is perfect for software managers out there, I recommend it for anyone working in a company where software is your primary product. The advice here is clearly explained for a non-technical team member and helps everyone that reads it to understand the value behind things like version control, testing, giving programmers quiet space, and even some character encoding!

Developers will find it motivating in their work to adapt better habits and even to take a lead role in creating a more successful workflow among their team.

Joel doesn't discuss any details of programming languages or tools here which is great because it makes the book timeless and allows him to fully expose successful management. Joel understands what factors lead to quality software more than any other author I have read. Highly recommended!