Starting a Tech Business: A Practical Guide for Anyone Creating or Designing Applications or Softwar

Acknowledgments xiIntroduction xiiiWho Should Read This? Why? xiiiWhat Is a Technology System? xvLeveraging Industry Shifts xviiWhat Will I Get out of These Chapters? xviiiWho Is the Author? xxviChapter 1 The Idea: Confront the Lawn Gnome of Indolence 1Conception 1Reality Testing 3Footprint 25Platforms 26Engaging Moonlighters 28Beta Customers 30Checklist 33Specialty Reading by Topic 33Chapter 2 The Strategy: Saddle the Racehorse of Blind Progress 35What Strategy? 35Squaring the Four Ps 36Company Strategy 40More on Catalysts 47Iterative Management 48Bringing It All Together 56Checklist 60Specialty Reading by Topic 61Chapter 3 The Product: Pin the Butterfly of Incoherence 63Thinking Like a Designer 63User Stories 67Using the MVC Framework for a High-Level Design 73The View 76The Model 86The Controller 93Iterative Learning and Design 95Pulling It All Together 96Checklist 97Specialty Reading by Topic 98Chapter 4 The Architecture: Unravel the Python of Monolithic Architecture 99Industrial Revolution 2.0 99Designing an Architecture 100Understanding Integration 102Architecture Piece Parts at Enable Quiz 104Evaluating Piece Parts 115Understanding Open Source 117Understanding Development Tools 119Checklist 128Specialty Reading by Topic 128Chapter 5 The Team: Dodge the Magpie of Discord 129Who Are These Software People? 129Roles and Skill Sets at Enable Quiz 133Evaluating New Hires 142Evaluating Third-Party Firms 148Motivation 151Going Offshore 152Contracting 155Internal Tools 155Checklist 158Specialty Reading by Topic 159Chapter 6 Getting to Beta: Discipline the Chihuahua of Unruly Development 161From Here to There 161Planning at Enable Quiz 166The Reality 176Documentation 180Checklist 191Specialty Reading by Topic 192Chapter 7 Beta! Slaying the Hydra of Operational Readiness 193Process, Process, Process 193Process Example: Enable Quiz 200You Are My Beta 217Checklist 220Specialty Reading by Topic 220Chapter 8 Scaling the Business: Riding the Whale of Scale 221The Launch: Is It Working? 221Partnerships 228Focus, Focus, Focus 233The Chasm and the Hockey Stick 235Managing Feedback at Enable Quiz 240Learning When (and How) to Say No 241Post-Mortems 243Scaling 244What Now? 245Checklist 247Specialty Reading by Topic 248Index 249... Mehr