New on Amazon: Unwell
Buy new:
-38% $21.05
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 7 to Nashville 37217 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Alien Duck
$21.05 with 38 percent savings
List Price: $33.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 7 to Nashville 37217 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Monday, May 5.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$21.05 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.05
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$6.64
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
100% Satisfaction Guarantee!! **Ships Direct From Amazon** 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!! **Ships Direct From Amazon** See less
FREE delivery Thursday, May 8 to Nashville 37217 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$21.05 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.05
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Timothy Lister
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams 2nd Edition

by Tom DeMarco (Author), Timothy Lister (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.05","priceAmount":21.05,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"05","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Xi03pJG3%2FPJqR62gEd6%2BR2zP1NqIyRnF54aRFb8MQxLLsyPebyGvxz3XqECogzZZA7mJYawPMprKxGMTVmEVMrwTnnsu5Q6EPBe3dMDfGj4CdAXP%2B8pSkrq9S5bAWIzdIazPgzPFybfmFXk88yIyQbrUK9xzDZoqSjZn9xflB3Oj2xW%2BRfj3%2FmJAxWtn6QAH","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.64","priceAmount":6.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Xi03pJG3%2FPJqR62gEd6%2BR2zP1NqIyRnFq%2BomR1Cw1%2Bm3iDzNFwQA0EjUTip90by8dKjo7Y9MAnJ1154CKUpSHJ7l8UwVhWqq6oOeWSuCzz40RXFZJ1IwcRANlpZBsaMa3u5Kh7KaRa6s7%2B0YL7P3r%2F7ImWpTZqet8dk1nDANvY%2F5R%2FG5jdZX7U0vFGYDsumR","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Demarco and Lister demonstrate that the major issues of software development are human, not technical. Their answers aren't easy--just incredibly successful. New second edition features eight all-new chapters. Softcover. Previous edition: c1987. DLC: Management.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    0932633439
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0932633439
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publisher
    Dorset House
  5. Publication date
    February 1, 1999
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  8. Print length
    245 pages
Next slide of product details

There is a newer edition of this item:

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (3rd Edition)
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (3rd Edition)
$31.57
(1,136)
Available to ship in 1-2 days
Books%20with%20Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
This item: Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
$21.05
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Alien Duck and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
$18.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
$16.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dorset House; 2nd edition (February 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 245 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0932633439
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0932633439
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Timothy Lister

Timothy Lister

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
166 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a must-read for managers, with excellent readability and writing style that is easy to follow. Moreover, the book provides valuable insights, with one customer specifically noting its effectiveness in managing creative knowledge workers. Additionally, customers appreciate the book's humor and consider it a classic work.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

41 customers mention "Readability"38 positive3 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as excellent and a must-read for managers, with one customer noting it offers valuable lessons beyond software business.

"I cannot overstate just how great this book is! DeMarco and Lister don't mess around...." Read more

"...anecdotes based on the author's own experiences, and is solidly packed with practical and useful advice...." Read more

"...or "Death March" (see my reviews for all of these books), and are worth reading even if just to provide discussion starters within your organization...." Read more

"...At the same time, the advice is solid and they often provide data to back up their assertions...." Read more

27 customers mention "Insight"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and relevant, with one customer specifically noting its value in managing creative knowledge workers.

"...The authors use no-nonsense writing, statistical evidence, and even humorous anecdotes to drive their points home...." Read more

"...easy read - not too long, clearly and engagingly written, relies on well-told anecdotes based on the author's own experiences, and is solidly packed..." Read more

"...line graphs that accompany this chapter provide some substance to the discussion about project staffing, but again this chapter still seems to be..." Read more

"...speak about now, and there are some key ideas that make sense for any team of professionals who have to work together...." Read more

11 customers mention "Writing style"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it well written and easy to read, with one customer noting it reads beautifully.

"...The authors use no-nonsense writing, statistical evidence, and even humorous anecdotes to drive their points home...." Read more

"...in its field, and is an easy read - not too long, clearly and engagingly written, relies on well-told anecdotes based on the author's own experiences..." Read more

"...Great writing style, and you "get" what it's about almost immediately (unless you are one of the "office police")...." Read more

"...best insight into the organizations, classic work area facts in simple plain English." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one mentioning that the authors have a good sense of humor.

"...authors use no-nonsense writing, statistical evidence, and even humorous anecdotes to drive their points home...." Read more

"...The authors have a good sense of humor, and it is the great pleasure to read this book...." Read more

"...The book is witty and insightful. Even if you are not a manager or in the software industry, you'll find the book fun and useful." Read more

"Excellent read. Well-written, easy to follow, and often funny...." Read more

3 customers mention "Classic content"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's classic content, with one noting that Tom Demarco's work is timeless.

"Tom Demarco's classic is timeless. It addresses many aspects of management not only with his own experience but data from research. Just read it." Read more

"Classic and still fantastic..." Read more

"I'd say it's a classic...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Sean Kelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must-read!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 1999
    Verified Purchase
    I cannot overstate just how great this book is!
    DeMarco and Lister don't mess around. They go right to the heart of project and team management and tell you exactly what makes one company succeed while so many others fail: it's not technology, it's people.
    With reckless abandon, they attack cubicles, dress codes, telephones, hiring policies, and company core hours and demonstrate how managers who are not insecure about their positions, who shelter their employees from corporate politics, who, in short, make it possible for people to work are the ones who complete projects and whose employees have fun doing so. The authors use no-nonsense writing, statistical evidence, and even humorous anecdotes to drive their points home.
    While the first edition was as appropriate to today's corporate cultures as it ever was, the authors have added analysis of some of the latest trends in management in this new second edition, and show what's good and what's not. The update includes coverage of the dangers of constant overtime, the stupidity of motivational posters, the side effects of process improvement programs, how to make change possible, and the costs of turnover. As with the rest of the book, all topics receive thorough and thoughtful treatment.
    Although the book is weighed heavily towards software engineering projects, you'll find that much of what DeMarco and Lister say apply to projects where creativity and analytical skills are required. If you're a manager of such a project, consider this book required reading before you do anything else today. If you're a team member on such a project, buy a copy for your boss, and an extra one for your boss's boss.
    One final note: I'd wager that Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, must use this book as inspiration for his comic strip. Dilbert's encounters with his moronic boss and idiotic company policies seem to come right from the pages of Peopleware's advice on what not to do.
    77 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Allen Vander Meulen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Better the second time around!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I read the first edition of this book about 10 years ago, and recently purchased and read this second edition. The book is a real eye-opener, exploding many myths about what it takes to make a team successful.

    "Peopleware" is a classic work in its field, and is an easy read - not too long, clearly and engagingly written, relies on well-told anecdotes based on the author's own experiences, and is solidly packed with practical and useful advice. Tables, facts and charts supporting the book's themes are well presented, and the authors are careful to not go beyond what the facts support.

    In the second edition, a sixth section, "Son of Peopleware", was added, consisting of 8 new chapters of material expanding on the original edition in light of what the authors have learned in the years since.

    The central theme of this book is that teams are not machines, but are composed of people: the human element must always be considered, if not highly valued, to maximize not only your team's productivity and individual team-member job satisfaction (as well as your own), but to maximize your team's value to the organization as a whole. That the title starts with "Peopleware" is no mistake.

    Anyone who manages teams in a business environment, regardless of the industry they are in, should read this book.

    Hats off to Tom Demarco and Timothy Lister: great job!
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • EG
    4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing but still worth a read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Providing an overall rating for this book was extremely difficult, and writing this book review was not an easy task. This difficulty is due to the nature of "Peopleware". This DeMarco work enjoys what appears to be a solid 5-star rating, and to some degree this is a very reasonable collective assessment. Without discussing at length all of the reasons I think this book should instead be assigned less than 5-stars, I think my reasons fall into two categories: (1) the original work was penned in 1987, and due to the industry pervasiveness of many of the ideas presented by the authors, a lot of the material can no longer be considered extraordinary, and (2) the cohesiveness of each chapter and the flow from chapter to chapter is less than optimal - in other words, it is a bit choppy. Now I realize that there exist many in the software industry that can gain great strides in their respective workplaces by reading this book and understanding how best to apply the provided advice, which is why I give this work 4-stars rather than 3-stars, but I must say that I was just disappointed by all the hype about this book, from a year-2007 perspective. And simple math obviously will conclude that 20 years have passed since the original publication. The 8 new chapters added by the authors in 1999 really do not communicate many ground-shaking ideas. In my opinion, Chapter 33 is the only one of these new chapters that personally provided me any insight. And the premise of this lone chapter is simply that "the ultimate management sin is wasting people's time". The simplistic line graphs that accompany this chapter provide some substance to the discussion about project staffing, but again this chapter still seems to be geared toward individuals who do not bother to keep up with the insight shared in industry periodicals. Despite all of these drawbacks, however, there are some strong areas of the book that are worth reading by all software industry professionals. These strong areas are more comparable to the content of timeless classics like "The Mythical Man Month", "Waltzing with Bears" (also by DeMarco and Lister), or "Death March" (see my reviews for all of these books), and are worth reading even if just to provide discussion starters within your organization. These chapters include "Vienna Waits for You" on working smarter and project deadline pressures, "Quality-if Time Permits" where the authors state that "Quality, far beyond that required by the end user, is a means to higher productivity", "Parkinson's Law Revisited" on estimations and productivity, "You Never Get Anything Done Around Here Between 9 and 5", "Brain Time Versus Body Time" on understanding the work day of a technology worker, "The Self-Healing System" on process, and "Teamicide" and "Open Kimono" on team jell. Realize that there are 34 chapters in this book. The bottom line is that this book on productive projects and teams, targeted at a software industry audience - although perhaps not overly impressive from a holistic perspective - is still heartily recommended.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Fernando Bernardino
    5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal and timeless analysis on human psychology applied to Software Development
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    It is simply phenomenal. Impressive how the authors were able to do a clear analysis on a fuzzy subject as people on software development. The first edition was written decades ago and yet many companies do the same mistakes over and over again. We are the weakest link in Software Development.
    Report
  • Chris R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate and enlightening
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this on a whim and I'm glad I did. The book advocates giving knowledge workers space and quiet to allow the to focus. Their points completely agrees with my own experience.
    Report
  • Vanclei Picolli
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Ok
    Report
  • Imre Lendak
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of XP in a short book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The authors explain why are the people the most important ingredients of healthy organizations. All (software) managers and wannabe managers should read this. Maybe even before the Mythical man-month...
    Report
  • Josh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Frightening...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    ...but so true. So readable and very practical. I do not agree that it's dated. You can even use the book to beat your manager about the head.
    Report