"Three things – autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward – are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying.  It is now how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five.  It is whether our work fulfills us."

"Work that fulfills those three criteria is meaningful.  Being a teacher is meaningful. Being a physician is meaningful. So is being an entrepreneur…"

-Malcolm Gladwell “Outliers: The Story of Success”

As mentioned in the New York Times article "It May Be a Good Job, but Is It 'Good Work'?" (11/16/08), the Harvard Psychologist Howard Gardner says:

"There are three questions people can ask about their jobs to evaluate their good-work level: Does it fit your values? Does it evoke excellence; are you highly competent and effective at what you do? Does it bring you that subjective barometer of engagement, joy?"MR. GARDNER’S advice for anyone being forced to find a new job, setting out on a career or hankering for a midcareer change is: “Decide what you really like to do and what you would like to spend your life doing. That’s more important than deciding what particular job to hold, because the employment landscape is changing radically and quickly. Then ask, ‘Where could I carry that out?’ and be very flexible about the milieu and venue — but not about what you get a kick out of and can be good at.“And then, third, if you have any choice over where to work, when you’re considering a job, go there and talk to people. Ask yourself, ‘Is this the kind of place where I can see myself in others?’ You might make five times more money at one place, but does it reflect who you are and who you want to be? Are my colleagues people I’d admire or people I’d prefer to avoid?”

I have always been interested in how great software products are built. In the early 90’s, I took several  “software engineering best practices” courses at Boston University as part of my doctoral studies. Since then I have read many books and articles and have lead many software product development and product management teams. Now I even teach a course at Stanford on product management and the software product lifecycle. 

Marty’s Cagan’s book is by far the best book I have ever read on software product management, or really on how to build great products.

His general theme of discovering products that are “valuable, usable, and feasible” is brilliant. He discusses the role of the product management including contrasting it to product marketing, project management, design, and engineering.  He lays out a guideline for product management processes including how to succeed with agile methods, waterfall processes, in a start-up, and in large companies.  It is hard to believe he covers so many useful topics (cutting features vs. slipping dates, market research, innovating in large companies) and classic problems (confusing product management with product marketing) in this relatively short, very straightforward, and very readable book.

If you are a product manager or just want to learn how to build great software products, but this book!  Then buy one for everyone on your team, for everyone around you, and especially for your CEO. (Oh, you are the CEO; then what are you waiting for?)