Our Contract with You, The Reader -- List of Chapters -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- About the Author -- How to Download the Files -- Introduction -- Section I: About Development -- Chapter 1: Types of Developers -- The independent developer -- The partnership -- The small development shop -- The large development shop -- The small company developer -- The large company developer -- The consultancy -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2: Types of Gigs -- Original development -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Application rewrite -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Version 2.0 development -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Maintenance -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Troubleshooting -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Audits -- Definition -- Skills required -- Time span -- Location -- Pros and cons -- Hourly consulting -- Chapter 3: Types of Processes -- Structured development (the waterfall method) -- Rapid Application Development (RAD) -- Benefits of RAD -- Disadvantages of RAD -- Agile Methodologies -- Benefits of Agile Methodologies -- How Agile Methodologies deal with risk -- Dealing with how long and how much -- Comparison of Agile Methodologies with structured programming -- The role of requirements and specifications -- Estimating time and costs and billing -- Code Like Hell And See What Happens (CLHASWH) -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4: Choosing a Process -- Type of project -- Type of process -- Your own abilities -- Customer requirements and attributes -- Do they have a fixed budget? -- Do they have a fixed deadline? -- How critical is quality? -- How involved do they want to be? -- How involved can they be?.

How well defined is the project? -- Do they have an appreciation for software development? Do they buy in? -- Considerations for choosing -- Structured development -- Rapid Application Development -- Extreme Programming -- Code Like Hell And See What Happens -- Conclusion -- Section II: Starting Out -- Chapter 5: Are You Ready? -- Deciding to make the jump -- Making the move -- Good reasons -- Bad reasons -- Crunching the numbers -- Income -- Expenses -- The result -- Cataloging the skills -- Technical analysis and design -- Technical programming skills -- Testing -- Delivery -- Communication -- Pieces of the pie -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6: What You'll Need -- Decide what you're going to do -- What services are you going to provide? -- Where do you want to work? -- What type of company/industry do you want to work with? -- Do you plan to do it all yourself? -- How much money do you want to make? -- How do you want to get paid? -- Set the ground rules yourself! -- Define your methods and methodologies -- Define your billable and non-billable activities -- Put together a portfolio -- Create a budget and a business plan -- Contents of a business plan -- Two business plan tips -- Contents of a budget -- Company structure -- List your initial resources -- Isn't this a lot of work? -- Jumping off for practice -- Chapter 7: Positioning -- Positioning: The basics -- What is positioning? -- What do you sell? -- What are they buying? -- What are they really buying? -- Why do they buy it? -- Who else could they buy it from? -- Why do they buy it from you? -- Determining your competitive advantage -- Why corporate IS departments should be interested in positioning -- Samples of positioning -- A successful positioning -- Expertise with a tool -- Expertise within an industry or market -- Process expertise -- Outsourcing expertise.

Selling before the chasm (leading edge expertise) -- Customer service orientation -- Company demographic specialization -- Geographic orientation -- Vertical market orientation -- The positioning of a corporate IS department -- Conclusion -- Chapter 8: Marketing -- What is marketing? -- Types of marketing -- General image marketing -- Brand marketing -- Product/service marketing -- Target of marketing -- Customers -- Peers -- Community -- Purpose of marketing -- Develop awareness -- Encourage preference -- The difference between marketing and selling -- The marketing of a corporate IS department -- Promotional materials -- Company name -- Logo -- Business cards -- Stationery and other printed collateral -- Brochures -- Brochures vs. CD-ROMs -- Presentations and slideshows -- Web sites and other online advertising -- Marketing avenues and techniques -- Advertising -- Professional affiliations -- So what do you do? -- Conclusion -- Section III: The Initial Contact -- Chapter 9: Setting Expectations -- Expectations must be mutually understood -- Expectations must be met -- An example of setting expectations -- Expectations peculiar to software development -- How to make expectations happen -- Chapter 10: The Initial Contact -- Where the phone call comes from -- The phone call form -- Who are they? -- What do they want? -- What is the next step? -- A typical phone call -- Get them on track right away -- Get your phone call form filled out -- Ask them to do their homework -- "What can we do to prepare?" -- Close the conversation -- Follow-up to a phone call -- Agenda for the meeting -- Send the agenda plus other materials -- Twists for the corporate IS department -- Chapter 11: The Sales Call -- Purpose -- Identify the likelihood of a match -- First pass at identifying size and scope -- Pitch the price and best process -- Sell them on the next step.

Goals vs. agenda -- Where to meet -- Pros and cons of "Their Place" -- Pros and cons of "Your Place" -- Pros and cons of "A Neutral Place" -- What to wear -- A suit -- Business casual -- Programmer casual -- What to bring -- Materials -- A PC -- The agenda-your game plan for the meeting -- The external plan -- Your internal agenda -- At the meeting -- Introductions -- Get them on track and control the meeting -- Existing functionality and new functionality -- How much will this specification/application cost (in time and money)? -- Come to closure and define the next step -- The next step -- Want an Engagement Letter for design -- Want additional consulting -- We'll get back to you -- The corporate IS department perspective -- Chapter 12: Scenarios Encountered During the Sales Call -- People not there -- People not prepared -- Didn't do their homework -- "I didn't understand what I was supposed to do" -- "I didn't have time" -- "I don't think this is my job" or "This is what I pay you for" -- "This isn't necessary" or "I didn't see any point in this" -- Too many interruptions -- "Come back for another meeting" -- The meeting that lasts forever -- Wanting work done at the meeting -- "I need to know how you calculated the price" -- Watch your gut! -- Section IV: Creating Specifications -- Chapter 13: The Fundamental Premise Behind Pricing Custom Software -- Define what "it" is -- Experience and capability -- A history of costs -- Additional change factors -- A fifth complicating factor -- Pricing for Agile Methodologies -- Summing up -- Chapter 14: An Agreement to do Work -- The Engagement Letter -- Purpose of the Engagement Letter -- General format -- The Attachment -- General -- Services -- Support -- Ownership -- Non-compete agreement -- Confidentiality -- Customer representative -- Disputes and liability -- The Customer Setup Form -- Purpose.

Procedure -- Contents -- Using these forms -- Chapter 15: The Process of Developing Specifications -- What is a Functional Spec? -- The pain -- The bullet points -- Samples -- Creating and winnowing the list -- Requirements -- What is a requirement? -- The Use Cases -- What is a Use Case? -- Purpose -- The Cliff's Notes version of how a Use Case works -- Creating a practical Use Case -- Prototypes -- What is a prototype? -- A sample prototype -- A second sample prototype -- The specification process with prototyping -- Beginning with the "pain" -- Getting started -- Iterating -- Tips on the politics of prototypes -- Tips on creating prototypes -- Tips on demonstrating prototypes -- Tips on "keep overnight" prototypes -- Calling it quits -- Drawing the line at including functionality -- When is a prototype not a real application? -- A final word about design meetings -- How far do you go during specification development? -- People you may meet -- The Wheel Spinner -- The Perfectionist -- The Expert -- Micro-managers -- Cowboys -- Seekers of the Silver Bullet -- Curmudgeons -- There's always somebody… -- Conclusion -- Chapter 16: The Specification -- The Executive Overview -- General description -- Functionality -- Sample use scenario -- Functional description -- General interface notes -- Customer-specific interface notes -- Installation and setup -- Custom interface elements -- Screens -- Processes -- Reports -- Standard components -- Technical specs -- Environment -- Data -- Implementation -- Test methodology -- Deliverables -- Modifications -- Conclusion -- Chapter 17: Calculating Time and Cost for a Specification -- Methodologies for estimating -- Ways to charge -- Options -- Advantages and disadvantages -- Function Point Analysis-and its problems -- Finding Function Points -- What's wrong with FPA? -- The alternative: Action Point Counting.

Intent: Sizing.