Frederick P. Brooks - The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition

Since the first publication of The Mythical Man-Month in 1975, no software engineer's bookshelf has been complete without it. Many software engineers and computer scientists have claimed to be on their second or third copy of the book. Now, Addison-Wesley is proud to present the 20th anniversary edition-and first revised edition ever-of Fred Brooks's now legendary collection of essays on the management of computer programming projects. The 20th Anniversary edition is an updated, enhanced re-release of the Brooks classic. Included are all of the existing essays that were originally presented, with the addition of three new essays assessing the current status of software project management. Brooks's well-known 1986 article, No Silver Bullet, is also included. This 20th Anniversary edition is a major event in computer publishing.

Few books on software project management have been as influential and timeless as The Mythical Man-Month. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought- provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects. These essays draw from his experience as project manager for the IBM System/360 computer family and then for OS/360, its massive software system. Now, 20 years after the initial publication of his book, Brooks has revisited his original ideas and added new thoughts and advice, both for readers already familiar with his work and for readers discovering it for the first time.The added chapters contain (1) a crisp condensation of all the propositions asserted in the original book, including Brooks' central argument in The Mythical Man-Month: that large programming projects suffer management problems different from small ones due to the division of labor; that the conceptual integrity of the product is therefore critical; and that it is difficult but possible to achie...