Review: The Nature of Software Development by Ron Jeffries

Here’s a summary of this book: build software in small increments, ship something that works every 1-2 weeks, and always prioritize the most important and valuable increments first. There, you’re done. I just saved you from reading 150 pages that don’t say much beyond that one sentence.

There is other content in the book, and it does cover many of the basic aspects of agile, but it’s presented in a way that, quite frankly, is not useful. All the concepts are simplified down to the point where they become truisms or tautologies (“what you want is value because value is what you want”). Every time you come across something nuanced or complicated, the author just waves it away, saying “well of course it’s hard!” And there are no real-world examples, case studies, code snippets, architecture diagrams, or anything tangible to look at. All you get is a bunch of platitudes about agile and the “natural” way of doing software.

Moreover, the book uses an odd, choppy, over-simplified, conversational writing style, almost like a kids book. It also includes a number of cute sketches, so perhaps the title should be “Agile for Kids.” Kids books are great, but if you’re an adult, you probably won’t learn much of anything from this one.

Rating: 2 stars