Ship It! is a collection of tips that show the tools andtechniques a successful project team has to use, and how to use themwell. You'll get quick, easy-to-follow advice on modernpractices: which to use, and when they should be applied. This bookavoids current fashion trends and marketing hype, instead, readersfind page after page of solid advice, all tried and tested in thereal world.


Aimed at beginning to intermediate programmers, Ship It! will show you:

* Which tools help, and which don't
* How to keep a project moving
* Approaches to scheduling that work
* How to build developers as well as product
* What's normal on a project, and what's not
* How to manage managers, end-users and sponsors
* Danger signs and how to fix them

Few of the ideas presented here are controversial or extreme, most experiencedprogrammers will agree that this stuff works. Yet 50 to 70 percent of allproject teams in the U.S. aren't able to use even these simple, well-acceptedpractices effectively. This book will help you get started.


Ship It! begins by introducing the common technicalinfrastructure that every project needs to get the job done. Readerscan choose from a variety of recommended technologies according totheir skills and budgets. The next sections outline the necessarysteps to get software out the door reliably, using well-accepted, easy-to-adopt, best-of-breed practices that really work.


Finally, and most importantly, Ship It! presents commonproblems that teams face, then offers real-world advice on how tosolve them.