I've been reading a book called Microsoft Secrets. It is a very dull book so you'll appreciate the summary.
Microsoft works on an industrial division-of-labour principle. It also works on the assumption that bugs ("defects") are enevitable. Indeed, the quantity of known bugs can be used to track the progress of a product. A product with numerous bugs gives a bad reputation and has poor sales. Products with very few bugs are more expensive to produce and users are reluctant to upgrade to subsequent versions. Ignoring the economics, there is a engineering approach to managing emergent complexity.
You'd get most value from this book by comparing it to The Mythical Man Month. There is a strong correlation with the theory in the Mythical Man Month and the observed practice in Microsoft Secrets.
I only bought Microsoft Secrets as a gift for a former manager. However, I subsequently discovered that he was a former Microsoft employee. Sometimes a gift can be too appropriate.
Microsoft works on an industrial division-of-labour principle. It also works on the assumption that bugs ("defects") are enevitable. Indeed, the quantity of known bugs can be used to track the progress of a product. A product with numerous bugs gives a bad reputation and has poor sales. Products with very few bugs are more expensive to produce and users are reluctant to upgrade to subsequent versions. Ignoring the economics, there is a engineering approach to managing emergent complexity.
You'd get most value from this book by comparing it to The Mythical Man Month. There is a strong correlation with the theory in the Mythical Man Month and the observed practice in Microsoft Secrets.
I only bought Microsoft Secrets as a gift for a former manager. However, I subsequently discovered that he was a former Microsoft employee. Sometimes a gift can be too appropriate.