Don't Hire a Software Developer Until You Read This Book

I've been software developer for over 20 years and within the first 10 minutes of reading I learned something new. I can't tell you how many times this book would have saved me countless hours wasted with (what I thought were) poor performing contractors. I have been on both sides of the equation - I have hired developers and also been hired as a developer. In both cases this book would have saved thousands of man hours.The chapter that was all about your customer - this was crucial. Some of it took me decades to learn and fully understand just how important this is. I can't tell you how many times I was hired to work on projects where ZERO customer research had taken place. For me this takes the common term / process of creating Uses Cases to a whole new level.If you have a non-technical background this book is a MUST READ!!If you are a developer yourself and looking to hire someone, chances are you are failing to do everything outlined in this book - thus greatly reducing your chances of success.If you are being hired as a developer this book will help you ask critical questions so you can gauge how well the project is being run before you say Yes to being hired. Or, if you are already hired, then this book will allow you to guide the project to better results by making better suggestions and just plain performing better as a capable resource.I so wish I had read this book 20 years ago!

This is a very useful resource for anyone who wants to understand the nuts and bolts of how an app is built from scratch to final product. It is filled with insights and recommendations about the really tiny details that comes with this kind of project. I personally found the "Pro Pitfalls" decks incredibly interesting, because they seem really to distill into practical advice many years of the author's experience. Don't expect entertaining stories or funny facts. This is a survival guide for the app entrepreneur and should be read only like that. Above all, though, I finished this book feeling that Kukoyi had a genuine interest in helping readers when she wrote each and every page of it, which is something I rarely (or never) have found in business books. That's what makes it so remarkable. Well done.

The title says it all. It is a priceless book for somebody who has an idea about an app but has no clue if it would be viable or for somebody who already has a business and now wants to make an app to expand its reach. It is more of a manual and a blueprint than a typical book. It focuses on action, walkthroughs and tips. You really get a clear picture of how complicated it can be but at the same time you get tools that help you handle that complexity. All essential steps you need to take are chunked into manageable pieces. Very easy to navigate to where you are at in the development process and look for tips if you are stuck. I personally had most use from the Trello cards system. No idea if this is a unique idea to this book but it is so simple that I am trying to incorporate it into all my work. Every chapter had something useful to me: interview questions for hiring a programmer, investigating the market, creating customer avatars, explaining requirements and vision for the product... Just all the free resources and links that point you in the right direction will save you a lot of time (and a nice lump of money).

It's only obvious if you've heard it all before. Covers many of the basics of starting a software focused startup company. Awesome leaping off point to hunt for more detail. Great way to get everyone on your team onto the same page, not just for a non-technical team leader. Costs less for the digital edition than a cup of coffee for a half hour interview with an experienced developer or entrepreneur. Will open up the opportunity to have difficult conversations your team has been putting off or didn't even realize you needed to have and make them a ton easier.Good:Step by step guideStrong focus on actionFairly comprehensiveLinks to tools with explanations for why they are usefulSimple terms for complicated conceptsMany of the ideas can be broadly applied to other startups or development projectsBad:Too broad to be deep, could always use more on each section (like whole books)Somewhat disjointed structure for simplificationDoesn't do all the work for meUgly:Fourty-four words on the cover, probably could have done some user testing on that to make it more concise or at least try to have some obvious bit to shorten it to

Good information but some of it is too basic.

So I'm one of those people that "have an idea." I had no clue where to start and a few months ago, I'd reached out to a friend that knew a developer. For whatever reason, that developer never got back to me and that provided me a chance to start researching the app creation process. Of what I've read, this was one of the BEST books on the subject. Had that developer gotten back to me when I called him, I would have spent a small fortune and totally jumped the gun on the process. With the help of this book and a few other sources, I have a track to run on and feel like I have a much stronger grasp of what is in store for me. I highly recommend this book, I've got pages marked all over my copy to reference and go back and read again. Even if you have already started your process, this book can probably give you insight to what you may have overlooked (I know it showed me a lot that I hadn't thought about).

Just about what anyone needs if new to this field. It is more targeted to the builder /entrepreneur than technical roles. I enjoyed it and found it valuable overall.

As a new tech entrepreneur, this book has helped me understand how software development works and what kind of developers and techniques are available. Recommended!!

Excellent book for young future entrepreneurs and startup owners.

This was a great find on Amazon. Written very well in layman's terms and a thorough step by step guide of what you need to know and what you need to do to from idea generation to actually launching the app. The book is filled with helpful tips, down loadable work books and links to resources. The author clearly knows her subject and the amount of research and time spent on the book to ensure the reader has everything they need to start the journey is commendable. I would highly recommend readers to scroll to the "how to use this book section" so they are able to get the most out of the book. I also think that those which perhaps are more advanced in their journey would still benefit from this book also talks about online marketing, management, payment services, testing, android vs IOS, aftercare and the list is endless.You will not be disappointed this is the go to book, the only one of its kind that was engaging, well thought through and most importantly helpful.Don't Hire a Software Developer Until You Read this Book

Comprehensive

Great book