Death March
by Edward Yourdon · first published 2003
48% recommend48% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical guide to doomed software projects: how to recognize them, cope once things have already gone wrong, and decide whether to stay. Suits working engineers and CS students; well written and funny.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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_The Myth of Certainty_ by Daniel Taylor _Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing_ by Soren Kierkegaard _The Invisible Computer_ by Donald Norman _Death March_ by Edward Yourdon _War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning_ by Chris Hedges _What Do You Care What Other People Think?_ by Richard P. Feynman
on “Ask HN: What books have helped make who you are today?” ↗…LaTeX and a lot of not-stressing-out about things (I wrote it while on vacation in Hawaii), I did my thesis painlessly in about a week, and didn't really understand what the fuss was about. I would add "Death March" by Edward Yourdon, which should be read even if you aren't in the computer industry.
on “Books and papers every graduate student should read” ↗…The Art of Profitability - The Checklist Manifesto - iCon - The Second Greatest Act in Business - The Narrow Road - A good book on Copywriting - The Mythical Man-Month - Peopleware - No Silver Bullet - Death March by Edward Yourdon - A Random Walk down Wall Street And a whole bunch more - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9837702-hrishikesh-cho...
on “Ask HN: Recommend books for a software developer opening a business” ↗Death March by Ed Yourdon literally changed my life--I quit my job not long after reading it, moving on to much better things. Rest in peace, Ed.
on “In memory of Ed Yourdon” ↗"Death March", by Ed Yourdon. Most of the reccommended books In this thread are about trying to keep a project in a good place. This book is about what to do when it has already gone wrong. You can make a not terrible…
on “Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?” ↗Death March by Ed Yourdon.
on “Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?” ↗No love for Edward Yourdon's Death March? I think a copy should be given to every CS student upon graduation.
on “What is the single most influential book every programmer should read?” ↗I would recommend Yourdon's book, "Death March" as mentioned in one of the answers. Although it feels a little dated it is a well reasoned analysis that at worst can give you perspective on a bad situation. When I was in a true Death March project…
on “How should I behave as a developer in a project that's headed for failure?” ↗…http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978270 Ed Tufte, especially Envisioning Information Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/ Ed Yourdon: Death March... this is a great guide to dealing with enterprizey development. This shows you what to avoid in your own org.
on “Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?” ↗…(toolsmith, language lawyer, etc.) are outdated now that individual programmers have so many more resources at their disposal. If we're talking about project management issues, though, I'd recommend Yourdon's "Death March" over "The Mythical Man-Month". That book has a lot more to say on how to deal with management that refuses to pick two out of "good, fast, cheap" and insists that all three are achievable.
on “Jason Fried: How to Kill a Bad Idea” ↗Ed Yourdon's early books with Peter Coad on object oriented analysis and design together with his book "Death March", had great influence on me and on my career. I'm saddened to hear of his death, but celebrate his life and his contribution to our field. My thoughts and best wishes to his family and those fortunate…
on “In memory of Ed Yourdon” ↗I had a professor make us read Death March by Yourdon and Peopleware. Both were great, especially Death March. It helped me notice bad patterns at an employer and gave me the motivation to quit. Its also very well written and funny, but a bit…
on “Books I recommend to my software engineering students” ↗…delivering packaged software, and mostly oriented around a "stocks and flows" model of the development process. The framing narrative is much more amusing, though. Also worth reading Edward Yourdon's Death March: https://books.google.com/books?id=FdAZUX9H_gAC&printsec=fron...
on “Ask HN: What makes a good technical leader – any recommended books?” ↗"Death March", Yourdon. Doomed software projects - how to recognize and deal with them, and sometimes use them to your advantage. "Software Craftsmanship", McBreen. Take pride in your work.
on “Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?” ↗Death March, 2nd Ed. - Ed Yourdon Peopleware, 2nd Ed, - Lister and DeMarco Art of the Meta-Object Protocol
on “Ask HN: Best software books written before 2000” ↗