Category Archives: Software

Thrashing The Delivery Truck

Posted on January 19, 2012 by stevek

I’ve previously compared software estimation to variations in the time required to drive to work. Dispatching delivery trucks is my mental model for comparison to changes in project direction.  This can help others to understand the impact when changes happen … Continue reading →

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Scoping for 90%

Posted on September 24, 2011 by stevek

I’ve been working at Zynga since early 2010.  One of the challenges of running an online game (like Café World, on which I’ve spent most of my time) involves releasing new features on a regular, predictable cadence. As a result, … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Software, Zynga | 2 Comments

Quadratic Songs and Books

Posted on August 26, 2011 by stevek

My son is 2 1/2 years old, and loves stories.  His favorite book at the moment is A Fly Went By. In the book, a boy sits lazily by the lake and observes a fly passing.  The fly in turn … Continue reading →

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Joel On Software

Posted on May 6, 2011 by stevek

After a bit of a delay, I’ve got another book to recommend. Joel Spolsky has kept a popular blog in the past decade, archived on his web site and in several books including Joel On Software. Joel borrows ideas from … Continue reading →

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The Mythical Man Month

Posted on March 2, 2011 by stevek

The Mythical Man Month is another of my favorite books on software and team productivity (this wikipedia page briefly covers the key ideas). The Mythical Man Month is a classic book which has profoundly affected thinking about software development processes.  … Continue reading →

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Peopleware

Posted on February 22, 2011 by stevek

I recently wrote about several of my favorite books on software and team productivity. Peopleware is a classic book on team building, productive and “jelled” teams, individual and team productivity, and work place environment. It is thought-provoking and should be … Continue reading →

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Three Good Books

Posted on February 15, 2011 by stevek

I’ve been working on the Cafe World team at Zynga for just over a year now.  It’s a great ride – we have an energetic and talented team who have built a wonderful game. Zynga executes software projects in highly … Continue reading →

Posted in Software, Zynga | 3 Comments