On the php|architect blog today Cal Evans has posted a book review of a new offering from Addison-Wesley on more of a "soft topic" than the usual code/tutorial content - Reflections on Management (How to Manage Your Software Projects, Your Team, Your Boss and Yourself).

The book is only 288 pages long (539 if you set the point size to a readable size on the iPad) but honestly it is jammed packed with things that managers of software development teams and projects need to know. I really am at a loss for where to start reviewing it because I feel the need to simply reiterate all the points that Mr. Humphrey made in the book.

Instead Cal opts to define who the book is for, who it's not for and includes a brief overview of some of the topics it presented as it relates to some of his own experiences. He recommends the book not only as a good thing for managers to read but something that should be given to a management candidate just before they make their move up.

Reading this book will help them either determine that they don’t want to be in management or get started on the right foot. Either way, the company and the candidate wins.