This book is dull compared to the first book in the series, "AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, Architectures, and Projects in Crisis". The authors take a reactive instead of proactive approach to project management. Read the four page antipattern synopsis in appendix B. The rest of the book regurgitates these items in expanded form. The text concentrates on project management problems and offers little in the solutions section. The antipattern named "standards" was helpful, however the material was duplicated from James Moore's book "Software Engineering Standards: A User's Roadmap".

AntiPatterns in Project Management contains easily read and digested templates on people, technology, and process management antipatterns. The examples are concise, yet they offer enough information that experienced programmers and project managers will cringe when they read the stories. The antipattern templates are easy to read and understand. And they provide a consistent framework for the discussion about exceptions, refactored solutions, typical causes, etc.

A very talented software engineer highly recommended this book to me as an engineering manager. I was intrigued to find that some of the Amazon.com reviews were sooooo negative. However, I bought the book anyway and found it to be quite useful.

The book uses the methodology of AntiPatterns, which is a hot topic in the software development community, to analyze problems with project management. This is simultaneously the book's strength and its weakness. Antipatterns are just one tool; one way of looking at the world; one way of analyzing a situation. Another useful addition to the toolkit is always welcome and the book clearly delivers one. On the other hand, if you are looking for the unified theory that will solve all project management problems, it doesn't deliver on that. (I am still looking for that book.)

One reason the book might receive mixed reviews is that it does have a tone of irreverence towards management. For example, in the Executive Summary, it says "The primary cause of software development failure is the lack of appropriate project management." While this may be true, some project managers may not enjoy reading about it. Similarly, the book has a tendency to identify the root cause of problems as "haste, ignorance or sloth", most likely on the part of management. This may be true, but perhaps not all that helpful or enjoyable to read.

Overall, I found the book to provide a valuable perspective on software project management. The book will not solve all of the world's project management problems but that's OK with me.
Read the book and use the principles wisely.

An easy skim which serves as a decent reminder of the importance of SCM. It highlights some areas for attention, and provides some tips. Most of the scenarios should be familiar. Its usefulness is that it may reach a broader audience than a textbook, so you can pass it around for discussion.

Sometimes a book only confirms the things you already knew, either consciencly or subconsciencly. This is not necessarely bad. I you run into a customer that violates every good practice that you're aware of, you can use the book to convince your customer that he's wrong and you're right. After all, all good ideas look a lot more impresive when they are printed.

Apart from that, it's fun reading.

Sequels are tough. The original AntiPattern book was light, funny, and right on the mark. It was a tough act to follow. This offering, that shares a couple of the same authors as the original AntiPattern books, falls short.

There is a hint from the authors themselves that this isn't a seminal work. The preface tells readers they can hunt for their particular antiPattern but "We suggest that it is better for you to read through the entire book now (it's not that thick)". Indeed it is not. At just over 300 pages, it is formatted such that about 1/3 of that space is either blank or large cartoons and pictures. So, while it might appear to have the same "heft" as the original, looks are deceiving.

The book suffers from two major problems: a lack of depth and poor editing. The original antiPatterns book is cited no less than 18 times in this work. Borrowing from past efforts and quoting yourself isn't necessarily bad--but it isn't a substitute for new material. Curiously, Steve McConnell (Code Complete, Rapid Development, etc.) is quoted almost as many times--far more often it seems than any other reference. There is an entire industry to draw from. Why such emphasis on just two sources?

Finally, the editing is dreadful. Terms and acronyms are introduced without definition and the general flow of the text is awkward much of the time. This book needed an editor!

Because there is so little written on CM from a management perspective I'm inclined to give the work 3 stars instead of my usual 2 stars for a flawed work. While there certainly are problems with this book, they fall mostly into the category of "missed opportunity" instead of erroneous information.

The author is trying to jump around on the concept he is trying to explain. Sometime, author used a long paragraph to explain a concept while at the end the point is still not clear.Examples in the text are not given in a consistent manner which causes lots of confusion to reader.
Some important concepts are not presented in the text, unsymmetrical substitution in the conjugated system for example.
I would recommend reader to read the book critically and do expect that things in the book are not 100% correct.

The second edition contained incredible errors regarding mechanistic organic chemistry, many of which were corrected by the third edition. No doubt, these errors were taught to a significant number of students, and have resulted in some ribbing of the authors by their peers. Nonetheless, the third edition still contains significant errors. Bright students will find those errors confusing, as they contradict what they learn about pKa's and acid/base chemistry within the text.

Text information states pKa values are for the conjugate acids of bases listed in tables, and this further confuses students, who assume the molecules listed are the acids themselves.

Incredible leaps of logic must be required for students to take sparse detail in the text and apply them to complex problems in the problem sets. Although the problems are enjoyable for Ph.D.'s in the field, they miss the mark regarding beginning students. I find the problems relevant and amusing, but they are often advanced or graduate level. In contrast,example problems in the text are quite simplistic.

It appears that the text attempts to address biochemistry, polymer and medicinal chemistry to some level - but must sacrifice content in the core areas of organic chemistry in order to satisfy the unwritten rule of a book of dimensions of 1.5" x 8" x 10" for the publisher.

The sidebars were a reasonable attempt to humanize chemistry. University academics are still scratching their heads as to why they continue to have trouble interesting students in chemistry - they need to look close to home regarding text and laboratory material. Both seem to provide an exercise in futility for U.S. students. Scientific method is taught in high school, and promptly forgotten. Logic and flow is missing today.

Good luck with the next edition!

Of all the Organic Chemistry text books I have reviewed, this one is at the top of the pile. It is logically organized and figures are well done. Brown & Foote do a great job of presenting the difficult subject matter.