Coder to Developer, Take 1

So I finally received my copy of Coder To Developer by Mike Gunderloy. I started reading it today, and so far I've gotten through the first two chapters, and both of which have hit points that I constantly think about at work starting a new project. I've also walked away with a better understanding of how I should be prepping myself as well as a new project prior to actually writing some code.

The first chapter really inspired me to start using some mind mapping software in future projects (personal or not), so I can get a better understanding of how things are going. However, I find this to be difficult to do in my work setting due to me being a developer and not a consultant that gathers the information and prepares the requirements for us. I'm thinking that this book should be passed on to those individuals so they can get an idea of what's best for everyone.

The second chapter has really opened my eyes into the specific process that needs to be taken after the requirements are gathered. At this point, the methodology for developing the project needs to be determined based on the company's needs or risk. I especially enjoyed the distinct clarification between architecture, design, and implementation. Lastly, Mike hits us with the point of how the product should be delivered to the public or client. He states that this type really depends on the methodology chosen previously - ie. doing a normal beta process for waterfall and releasing working portions of an application if doing XP.

So far the book is really good and I'm enjoying reading it. It's very easy to read (for a semi-technical book), and is not for the faint hearted of starting programmers. As the title states it clearly, Mike's purpose is to transition you from a coder to a developer. To me, its a mindframe on how things are to come together and work - and I think I may be on the right track.