Review By: Mark L. Johns
09/17/2003Constantine and Lockwood have taken the development of quality software to a new level. By focusing on designing what the customers want the first time, the software organization should be able to cut down on the “time to market” and the need for massive rework. This will in turn increase client satisfaction and profit margins!

“Software For Use” lays a foundation for the practical application of their techniques. The remainder of the book dives deep into the details of how to make your projects successful with the major ideas almost in a 1-to-1 relationship from foundational ideas to details. The entire development process is laid out from inception to completion in a realistic and practical manner.

This has to be one of the better books I have read on new development “methodologies” in quite a while. It takes two proven techniques of use-cases and modeling and puts them together in such a way that it makes sense! The quality definition of “Fitness For Use” should almost be a given if this new model is adopted!

The book itself is well written and organized. The basic foundation for the approach is laid down in the early part of the book and then the details are given for achieving success are given in extreme detail in later chapters. The book also attempts to “tell it like it is”… this is not a silver bullet that can be implemented over night. They instead continue to set the readers expectation that while the process can and will improve the development of usable software, it will come at a price. That price is a lot of hard work and the continual need for re-indoctrination until it becomes institutionalized.