5.0 out of 5 stars
A creative approach to methodology writing, Oct 5 2005
This review is from: Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams (Paperback)
Alistair Cockburn has long focused on the human aspects of software development and in this book clearly articulates well-researched advice for small development teams.
I especially appreciate how Crystal is described in terms of properties rather than processes, since a complex recipe-like description of a methodology is not easy to apply to the real world.
Cockburn is an excellent writer and uses many creative communication techniques, including an email exchange between the author and Crystal itself. It sounds hokey, but it works well!
I also like how the book includes many pictures of teams in action in their environments.
The case study chapter is interesting, but left me feeling that the pilot project was just too small to really give an idea of the effectiveness of the methodology. It is possible that a project that small could succeed with almost any methodology. But simply having a case study is a benefit that many other books don't even include.
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