Code Leader: Using People, Tools, and Processes to Build Successful Software

"Patrick is a pragmatist with a purist's knowledge. He has a deep understanding of what 'smells' right, and he knows when and how to find the right balance to get the job done. This philosophy of balanced 'pure pragmatism' pervades this book and makes it useful."
—from the foreword by Scott Hanselman, Author of ComputerZen Blog, www.computerzen.com; Senior Program Manager, Developer Division, Microsoft Corporation

Writing code is rewarding, but writing high-quality code, on time and at the lowest possible cost, is what makes a software project successful. As the role of a professional developer has evolved and taken on additional responsibilities, it is now necessary to work in concert with a team in order to improve both the process and final results of a software project. This unique book introduces a set of concrete best practices and construction techniques that can be applied to the development process and to actual code construction, so that you can confidently solve business problems rather than deal solely with pure coding tasks.
Patrick Cauldwell understands that it is no longer sufficient to just write software that solves a problem; it must also be fast, scalable, reliable, and easy to use. In this reference, he explains how to build software that is of high quality at a lower cost and shares with you the practical steps you must take in order to transition from software engineer to technical lead.
What you will learn from this book

Practical steps you can take to combine different developmental philosophies, processes, and construction techniques into a unified approach to software
Methods for deciding which parts of a project you need to write yourself versus what you can buy or reuse
Tools and processes you can employ to improve source code quality and maintainability
How to create, run, organize, and measure tests, and then make them more useful to developers and testers
Ways that programming by contract can make your code easier for developers to understand and use
Recommended techniques for handling errors in your code that will make your application easier to debug and support
Who this book is for
This book is for experienced software developers who are looking to improve their development skill set and bring a higher level of discipline to a project.

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