Implementing the IBM Rational Unified Process and Solutions: A Guide to Improving your Software Development Capability and Maturity (ISBN 0321369459) Book Reviews 1-8 Sorted By Most Recent, at VeryWellSaid.com

A MUST for managing RUP implementations Successfully

There are many books about the Rational Unified Process (RUP) and how to put it in place, but this one is SPECIAL. Fundamentally, It is:
- Concise the main body is under 150 pages, including diagrams and tables)
- To the point (it wastes no time delving in the details of RUP concepts for which there already are many good references)
- Practical (It deals with the realities of championing and managing RUP adoption in a real commercial environment, NOT what you might do in an academic setting)
- Comprehensive (It addresses the strategic, financial, and political aspects of the task, not merely the technical aspects)

It also provides a critical benefit over other comparable books, namely a strategy to deal with a problem that has plagued RUP throughout its existense: Its size and complexity.
Although there is consensus in the software industry that you cannot turn a novice organization into a mature RUP outfit in one fell swoop, very little is said on how to scale and evolve expectations over time, from conducting successful pilots, to disseminating the method across the entire organization, on to growing the organization through graduated maturity levels of adoption. This books fills that gap.

Two "caveat" worth mentioning:
1- This book assumes that you are an experienced RUP practioner and consequently says very little in the way of RUP concepts
2- This book is (mercifully) short which is absolutely necessary to NOT put the reader to sleep. As a result, while it provides a clear and concrete picture of the adoption process, it does not "dot all the i's" nor "cross all the t's". In other words, after you read this book, you will have a clear idea of the road ahead, but it will take ample effort to get yourself to the point where you can walk it ... blindfolded.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-11-14 10:44:48 EST)

05-13-08

(NA)

Implementing Process

Implementing process in a large organization is a huge challenge not just technically but socially. Joshua Barnes gets this, "people are slow to change and react to change in different ways". His book should be required reading for anyone working to improve process efficiency and effectiveness.

The number one reason process adoption projects fail is because there isn't visible support from upper management. Barnes's book focuses on ROI at every step and wages the key arguements to gain the support from both the top and the roots. His guidance also outlines a model to support the change so that process improvement lasts and continues, instead of people reverting back to old practices.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-09 10:54:03 EST)

10-31-07

0\1

Excellent Handbook for a Large Scale RUP Implementation

As this book states, leading a RUP implementation without the right subject matter expertise significantly limits your odds of success. I am currently working with Joshua on a large scale RUP/Rational Tool implementation and experienced life before and after having the right knowledge on-board. Joshua has guided multiple large scale implementations and has brought his accumulated base of implementation knowledge and lessons learned to bear. Joshua's book contains much of what he has learned and is an excellent handbook if you are planning to or are currently running a RUP / Rational Tool implementation of your very own.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-21 10:44:30 EST)

10-10-07

1\1

Keys to IBM Rational Implementation Success

There are many books out there on USING the Rational Unified Process (RUP) and the tools. However, guidance on IMPLEMENTING a methodology across an enterprise and how to achieve ROI with tools has not been readily available. Over the years I have seen organizations filled with RUP gurus and tools experts still fail in their Rational rollout, and unfortunately they often retreat to their previous chaotic process or lack thereof. As well, organizations struggle to make their ROI and capability & maturity improvements quantifiable.

This book provides tools, complete with real examples, to create a business case for RUP and productivity tools, shows how to increase capability through a structured mentoring program, and most importantly, how to assess your results to ensure your implementation is on track.

I, like Joshua, teach courses on implementing RUP and the tools. This book is clearly now THE reference text for my students.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-31 11:26:37 EST)

10-06-07

2\2

RUP Implementer Must Have

This book is a must have for anyone implementing the RUP. It hits on a lot of key pieces of the puzzle that go far beyond the configuration of process material and process instancing.

One chapter I found invaluable is the chapter on mentoring. In my personal experiencing training alone has never been enough when trying to adopt the RUP. This chapter finally put into words for me what I have been trying to communicate to a lot of companies. I now have a place to refer them when I am trying to make my point.

Another chapter was the one on tooling. This is overlooked a lot. Making sure you have the tooling to support your process in an absolute must and this book brings that to light.

The book also comes with downloadable tools that make the practices in the book a reality. They add the value of making this a real world book, verses an academic view of process implementation.

This book was definitely worth getting.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-11 11:02:54 EST)

09-04-07

(NA)

College-level collections catering to advanced software engineers will appreciate the depth and focus, here.

Software engineers interested in improving software development capability and maturity will appreciate this detailed book which relates best practices connected to the complete implementation cycle of IBM RUP, from implementation to mentoring. Here are keys to identifying process solutions, understanding maturity level goals, mapping 'end states' for maximum quality, and more - all packaged in a series of 'stepping stone' chapters which build knowledge and techniques. College-level collections catering to advanced software engineers will appreciate the depth and focus, here.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-06 11:09:44 EST)

07-22-07

(NA)

good rup whitepaper

"Implementing the IBM Rational Unified Process and Solutions" is an IBM Press book. As such, it reads like a 150 page IBM whitepaper. This isn't inherently good or bad, just important to know.

The audience is managers and executives. The book emphasizes ROI, TCO and selling the process. Each chapter has a "chapter return on investment" where you would normally see an introduction. Note that I'm not in the target audience, so take this review with a grain of salt.

The book walks through what to expect at different phases of implementing RUP. It has good charts and examples - project plan, charts with sample numbers, org charts, budgets, etc. There are examples of common mistakes and things to watch out for.

The beginning of the book mentions other process to compare RUP. They walk you through a ranking tool for weighting areas of examination. This happens again in chapter six. While the example is good, I found myself thinking "didn't we already do this?"

The book was interesting. It just felt more like a whitepaper to me than what I'm used to seeing in a book.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-04 11:16:37 EST)

06-25-07

1\1

RUP practitioner