You loved being a developer, and your company thought you were doing a great job. Your reward is that you have been named a team leader, heading a group of developers in creating or maintaining a software-related system. Why then do you feel uncomfortable with your new title and responsibilities? For two reasons. First, you have never before been a team leader, so you feel a bit like a fish out of water. Second, suddenly you have shifted from the technical to the management ladder. In other words, because you did software development well, you are now being asked to oversee others doing software development-so the company has taken away the tasks you were so good at and were most familiar with.

Fear not. This book will help you become an effective and respected team leader. Organized by the kinds of questions you are likely to ask, "Leading a Software Development Team" suggests strategies for finding the right balance between technology and management. With this book, you can avoid the Peter Principle (rising to your level of incompetence) and instead lead your team in producing quality products enjoyably and successfully.

Richard Whitehead's advice derives from his own experiences as developer, team leader and manager. His many practical suggestions tell you how to balance technical needs with business needs, and how to make tough choices about human resources as well as technology. What you read here is sometimes unorthodox; he's not a fan of practices that have little or no clear benefit other than to check off an activity on a list. But his view from the trenches will help guide you in making your own decisions in the context of your own organization and its values. So read on. With Whitehead as your mentor, you can anticipate and diffuse problems. Soon you will be as effective as a team leader as you were a developer.

Shari Lawrence Pfleeger
January 2001