Peopleware
by Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister · first published 1987
66% recommend31% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Research-backed look at what makes software teams productive: flow, open-plan harm, communication, and treating people well. Suits engineers moving into management and anyone arguing for better workspaces.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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"Peopleware" is a great one -- https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-...
on “Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?” ↗Want to jump ahead a few years from Mythical Man-Month? Let me recommend Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister.[2] It's painful that we haven't crawled far out of the 80s practices. The first chapter says: "The major problems of our work are not so much technological as sociological…
on “Ask HN: What mistakes in your experience does management keep making?” ↗…https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kim-Scott/dp/B01MY574E... Extreme Ownership: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/B... Becoming a Technical Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Technical-Leader-Problem-Sol... Peopleware: https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-... - Finally, one piece of advice I got when I first transitioned into management was that "first-time managers usually fall into the trap…
on “Ask HN: Just made Director, now what?” ↗…feel the pain of those programmers, and see the opportunity to improve yourself so you don't inflict similar pain. Some possibly helpful resources which you may have already seen: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S... http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ (right sidebar has a ton of articles) http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fallacies-Software-Engineering-R...
on “What To Look For In A Business Co-Founder” ↗Try "Peopleware" from DeMarco and Lister: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-3...
on “Best development book I've read, has no code in it” ↗"Peopleware" http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-... , a lot of insights and ideas how to build great teams. Great to read for developers, team leads and managers. "The art of multiprocessor…
on “Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?” ↗(New-ish manager here.) _Peopleware_ by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister is the best management resource I've encountered. https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Tom-De... It also helped to keep careful track of things I…
on “How to be a Manager – A step-by-step guide to leading a team” ↗…ever is "Wicked Problems, Righteous Solutions" by Peter DeGrace and Leslie Hulet Stahl. Lots of forehead slapping and kicking myself ensued. Even more applicable today than it was in 1990 when written. "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister comes as a very close second. Not directly architecture or technology-related is "The Story Factor by Anette Simmons". It... changes…
on “Architecture.md” ↗1. Peopleware: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S... 2. Pragmatic Programmer: http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master...
on “ASK HN: Hacker Bibles” ↗You could read this research, or just have read Peopleware from, what, 15 years ago? DeMarco and Lister nail everything you've ever thought about working in an office. If you haven't read this you should have! http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S...…
on “Open-plan offices are making workers sick” ↗More than once I had a wish managers would have read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S...
on “Real geeks die early” ↗…valuable to entrepreneurs: Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love (http://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Create-Products-Customers-Lov...) - The best if not only required reading for product management Peopleware (http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S...) - Great read on managing and understanding people as it relates to organizations Managing Humans (http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Humans-Humorous-Software-Engi...)…
on “Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read” ↗There are some great books which may help provide you with some structure on how to manage the team: Peopleware: Productive Projects & Teams http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S... Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose http://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-P...…
on “Ask HN: Best practices when working with teams” ↗I'll just leave this right here: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-...
on “Zen Writing Mode” ↗…edw519 listed above, you'd pretty much be guaranteed a job. I don't care how well or badly you program. I don't care whether you know Boost or not. I want to know whether you'll fit in here. Ever read Peopleware [1]? There's a great example in there on why you should value the programmer that seems to deliver nothing of value, and yet makes the team gel. If you don't know why this line of C++ code compiles…
on “How To Hire Me (or any other programmer)” ↗