Herding Cats and Coders: Software Development for Non-Techies

This book is a great overview of the things you'll need to know when dealing with techies that are either building software for you, or for those that manage your software in-house. It gives you just enough information to understand what the language/item/syntax/whatever is so you can understand the lingo and use, but not too much to confuse you or make you want to pull your hair out.And while the book is giving you this great info in perfect chunks, it makes you laugh. It's entertaining, it's funny, and it's smart. I highly recommend this book to anyone that deals with coders, software teams, or just general programmers in any capacity.You'll not only learn some really key definitions and phrases, but you'll learn why things are preferred over others, how some languages are better suited to handle certain tasks over others, and the right questions to ask when you're having someone work on a program, platform, or website for you.This reads like an amazing intro textbook in college that you read ahead in because you just don't want to put it down, it's just... fun!

I have recommended this book several times to non-technical founders who are looking to start a company and hire or outsource a development team to build a product. There are many unwritten rules for the process of creating a new product. This book helps a founder with bridging the communications gap between what they think they want to build and what the development team needs to build it right the first time. Even if you are not new to building tech products, this book is for you. I know a lot of seasoned startup execs that would benefit from the wisdom in these pages (you know who you are).If you are even thinking about building a new product, save yourself a lot of time and money by reading this book first. Prepare to laugh, cry, and cringe at the mistakes you have already made and then move forward with the confidence that unexpected stuff happens and you are now better prepared to get it right.Good Luck!

If you have a cool idea for an app or are curious about how to build an app, then this book is for you. I recently started in a non-technical role with a tech company and I bought his book to help me get up to speed on app development. It’s a great resource and I will definitely keep referring back to it.

Herding Cats and Coders is a book that anyone who wants to be knowledgeable about the Technology that is increasingly driving their organizations is built. The author Greg Ross-Monro includes tips, examples and some fun anecdotes on every page to grasp some very complex elements of Software Development. Overall its a read time well spent.

Great book full of helpful information and a giggle or two. I highly recommend for anyone interested in having an app built.