Getting Real – The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application

 

getting real book_3

I decided to pick up this book after the PDF was recommended to me by my boss and president of the company. I’ve always heard of 37Signals and their slew of online products (I even use some of them today). And of course in the development world who hasn’t heard of Ruby on Rails, created by David Heinemeier Hansson, who is a partner at 37Signals. This book was written by them after their experience in the IT startup world and after successfully developing some really cool web applications.

Overall I like the way this short book takes a lot of agile and lean concepts and applies them in the real life of a startup company. It’s even written in an almost point form sort of way, giving you little “lessons learnt”, “how we did it”, and “what we think of that topic” in very short 1 to 3 page sections. Although the content is very quick and to the point, there’s definitely a lot reference to background information alluding to why they think or do things a certain way. From industry cases like that of Steve Jobs to references from the Pragmatic Programmer you can really see the depth of understanding that these guys have for the values and principles which also stem from lean and agile frameworks. This book really shows a reality that can be achieved using the efficiencies brought on by adopting agile and lean values and principles.

Here’s a list of points that stuck out to me while reading this book:

“Scratching your own itch” – Open source developers find it easy to build solid high priority features because they are their own users and will build it when they need it. When you solve your own problem you create a tool that you’re passionate about.

“Constraints force creativity… and drive innovation” – Limiting your resources makes you deal with the most important things first and helps get your product out the door quicker. It also helps you get feedback on your product sooner. Work with what you have.

“Allow emergence” – Simple rules can lead to interesting complex behavior, cultivate an environment built around simple rules and allow for emergent behavior.

“The devils in the details” – Details reveal themselves as you use what you’re building. You’ll know which potholes to pave over because you’ll keep hitting them. Don’t waste time on problems you don’t have yet. Pay attention to the details when they matter.

“Avoid preferences” – Preferences and user options create more code, tests, maintenance, computational complexity, complex usability etc. You make the decision so your users don’t have to on the defaults. Make the best guess and move on.

“Be an executioner” – Ideas are just a multiplier, they are worth nothing unless executed. Execution is worth millions.

“Alone time” – People need uninterrupted time to get work done. Set aside half a work day where interruptions are  This one is a hard one because it’s so hard in our open workspace; interruptions come easy from both inside the team and outside.

“Innovation comes from saying no”  – Make each feature work hard to be implemented. Listen to your users but don’t act hastily. Say no to all but the crucial features. You’ll know what they are don’t worry.

“Can you handle it?” – Build products and offer services you can manage. It’s easy to make promises, but much harder to keep them.

“Promote through education” – Education is a soft promotional technique. Share your knowledge with the community and at the same time promote your product or create a positive buzz with your users. People you educate will become your evangelists.

“Beware of the bloat monster” – Resist bloat. Just because the application is older and more mature doesn’t mean it needs to get more complicated. And new doesn’t always mean improved. You don’t need to up-sell by constantly adding more features, you just need to provide ongoing value.

Definitely a short reading to share with your team! So, I am passing this one on now.

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