About the Series

In today's world of ever-improving technology ”with computers that get faster, cheaper, smaller, and more powerful with each passing month ”there is one commodity that we seem to have less and less of: time. IT professionals and managers are under constant pressure to deliver new systems more quickly than before; and one of the consequences of this pressure is that they're often thrown into situations for which they're not fully prepared. On Monday, they're given a new assignment in the area of testing, or risk management, or building a new application with the latest tools from IBM or Microsoft or Sun; and on Tuesday, they're expected to be productive and proficient. In many cases, they don't have time to attend a detailed training course; and they don't have time to read a thousand-page War and Peace tome that explains all the details of the technology.

Enter the Just Enough Series of books from Yourdon Press. Our mission is, quite literally, to provide just enough information for an experienced IT professional or manager to be able to assimilate the key aspects of a technology and begin putting it to productive use right away. Our objective is to provide pragmatic "how-to" information ”supported, when possible, by checklists and guidelines and templates and wizards ”that can be put to practical use right away. Of course, it's important to know that the refinements, exceptions, and extensions do exist; and the Just Enough books provide references, links to Web sites, and other resources for those who need it.

Over time, we intend to produce "just enough" books for every important aspect of IT systems development: from analysis and design, to coding and testing. Project management, risk management, process improvement, peopleware, and other issues are also covered while addressing several areas of new technology, from CRM to wireless technology, from enterprise application integration to Microsoft's .NET technology.

Perhaps one day life will slow down, and we'll be able to spend as much time as we want, learning everything there is to be learned about IT technologies. But until that day arrives, we only have time for "just enough" information. And the place to find that information is the Just Enough Series of computer books from Prentice Hall PTR/Yourdon Press.