Human Aspects of Software Engineering

by James E. Tomayko and Orit Hazzan

This textbook explores the many human dilemmas and conflicts that can arise during the course of software development, and encourages future software engineers to become more aware of the development... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584503130
• ISBN13: 9781584503132
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Delmar Thomson Learning
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 2.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive Study of Psychology and Sociology of S.E.

First, a truth-in-advertising disclaimer: I was a reviewer paid by the publisher to review the book prior to its publication. While my position is highly favorable, I do not regard it as prejudiced or influenced by the publisher's payment. It was clearly understood before I took the job that I could end up disliking the book and that I was expected to report my opinion whatever it turned out to be. Therefore, the opinion that I report here was arrived at in the normal fair manner. I decided that the book was good after reading it from beginning to end, starting with a hope that the book would teach me something. The book taught me plenty and was so well written that I had difficulty putting the book down. To give a flavor of the book, I give the table of contents: Part I Software Development Environments 1 The Nature of Software Engineering (SE) 2 SE Methods (including Spiral Model, Unified Process, AND XP) 3 Working in Teams 4 Software as a Product Part II The World of SE 5 Code of Ethics of SE 6 International Perspectives on SE 7 Different Perspectives on SE 8 The History of SE Part III Software-Human Interaction 9 Program Comprehension, Code Inspections, and Refactoring 10 Learning Processes in SE 11 Abstraction and Other Heuristics of Software Development 12 Characteristics of Software and the Human Aspects of SE Part IV Business Analysis of SE 13 Software Project Estimation and Tracking 14 Software as a Business 15 The Internet and the Human Aspects of SE Part V SE Education 16 Case Studies in SE 17 Students' Summary Projects and Presentations 18 Remarks about SE Education 19 Additional Information on Resources used in This Book I like the coverage of the book. It includes all of the subjects I would have thought relevant and then some. It's a great follow on to what was the first and until now the ONLY book in the area, Ben Shneiderman's _Psychology of Computer Programming_. Moreover, it goes so much farther than Ben's book, as it should considering how long ago Ben's book was published. I really liked Tomayko and Hazzan's inclusion of ethical issues, the international issues, the discussion of a variety methods from the programmer's point of view, the citation of empirical data, the comparisons to other professions, the history of SE, and the reflective practices idea. My own history includes software development experiences, participations in start ups, participation in the history of SE, and participation in developing SE education. I found the chapters on software development teams, software as a product, international perspectives, the history of SE, program comprehension and code inspections, software as a business, and SE education particularly resonating. The coverage is the correct completeness for a textbook. I suppose that as a researcher concerned with these issues, I would like to have seen more depth. However, I can see that such depth is not appropriate for a text and not appropriate for a practitioner who wants t