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 achieve this unity; (2) Brooks' view of these propositions a generation later; (3) a reprint of his classic 1986 paper "No Silver Bullet"; and (4) today's thoughts on the 1986 assertion, "There will be no silver bullet within ten years."

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Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 144 Ratings

A solid book - 2009-11-05
Reviewer Rating:
The author really knows what he is talking about. As a computer programmer, I can tell that the author is speaking from experience. And he makes his points clearly and thoroughly.

Very good book, ONLY if you're a "software development" project manager. - 2009-10-22
Reviewer Rating:
Very good book that shows how elements of Project Management in a software development project aren't terribly different from how we manage software projects today. The best part of this book is it's self-review and today's thoughts and views at the end of the book.

Must-Read for Software Project Managers and Executives - 2009-10-21
Reviewer Rating:
Although the original version of this work was published more than two decades ago, it's still packed with advice that's relevant for software project managers and executives. The updated version includes results from later studies and reports which make it clear that the book's message is of no less importance than when it was originally written.

Brooks takes a methodological look at important factors that influence the success or failure of software projects and explodes the idea of the linear man-month. It may seem logical that if you estimate that your team of 20 programmers will require 10 calendar-months to finish a project, that you can double the size of your team and finish the project in 5 calendar months. Brooks shows why this common-sense view of project-scheduling does not work in reality. Furthermore, he shows that increasing the size of a project team often causes an increase in not just the number of man-months required to finish a project, but in the number of calendar-months, as well.

If you manage teams of software developers, or if you're an executive in a software company, you should read this book in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the reality behind software project scheduling and management.

Must Read for Software Professionals - 2009-10-03
Reviewer Rating:
This book has been extensively reviewed, so what it there to add? From my perspective, two things.

First, if you aspire to being a professional in the software industry and have not read this book, then you must read this book. Of particular interest are Brooks reflections on the past 20 years in this edition.

And, secondly, for those that criticize this book as being outdated, I suggest that understanding the history of our profession and the fundamental concepts that Brooks discusses is essential. To paraphrase Santayana, Those who do not understand the past are condemned to repeat it.

A Classic on Software Project Management - 2009-08-23
Reviewer Rating:
This is a classic on the topic of software project management. Although the book is quite old, it is surprising that many of the concepts discussed are still applicable to date, particularly around the people aspect. Concepts such as throwing more people onto a late project, will only make it even later meeting the schedule etc. This book is also foundational to the software engineering field and the difference between it and computer science, where the author draws some good parallels around how chemical engineering and chemistry are different. The engineering practices place a bigger emphasis on processes and ensuring consistent outcomes of quality and cost. One major drawback in the book is, because it is old, focuses a lot on resources (hardware and software) that does not apply to the same extent today, as well as the languages (higher level today). I found the book Peopleware to be superior than this one in the area of software people management. Nevertheless, this is a classic that must be read.

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