Effective Reading List for IT Consultants!

In information age, knowledge is more available than ever at any age. I have compiled here a list of recommended reading books that I found very helpful in forming my thinking and awareness. I classified this list into categories based on the topic. Anyone can pick any book and start from any point forward. I will highlight prerequisites for some books to be fulfilled in order to have full understanding of book contents.

I will update this list continuously with new reading additions. The advantage of this list is that it has been tried and it is relatively newly published. You need to put a plan for completing this list along your own readings. But you need to start soon, world is moving!

Software Engineering:

Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach, by Roger S. Pressman,

Project Management:

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBok) 4th Edition, PMI

IT Architecture:

Business Metadata: Capturing Enterprise Knowledge, by William H. Inmon, et. al.

This is an excellent book about metadata management and its relation to business. Inmon is a well-known author in data management and data warehousing arena. This book provides a new perspective for information architecture subject.

Software Quality:

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, by Robert C. Martin.

This is an enjoyable book going through object-oriented languages. It provides example how you could make your code vivid and live through organization and commenting. Your end code should be like a story telling. This book will change your code engineering perspective.

Effective Software Testing: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Testing, by Elfriede Dustin

Practical Software Testing: A Process-Oriented Approach, by Ilene Burnstein

Software Testing (2nd Edition), by Ron Patton

Software Documentation:

This is one of the most neglected arena by software practitioners. Even if the importance of documentation is apparent, the know-how is not available.

Agile Documentation: A Pattern Guide to Producing Lightweight Documents for Software Projects, by Andreas Rueping.

This is a nice book and relatively small that give you a good ideas about what to document and why.

Information Technology (IT):

CIO Best Practices: Enabling Strategic Value With Information Technology, by Joseph P. Stenzel.

ITIL Version 3 at a Glance: Information Quick Reference, by John Long

Time Management and Productivity:

Time Management: Proven Techniques for Making Every Minute Count, by Richard Walsh

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey

Business Strategy, Modeling and Startups:

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

This is a seminal book in business strategy and marketing planning. It helps any IT consulting firms (or others) starting up thinking about marketing. It helps a lot for any company how to create a competitive and differential edge over other competitors. It is a brilliant book that you will enjoy reading.

The One Minute Entrepreneur: Reinvent Your Life for Fun and Profit, Discover Your Entrepreneurial Strengths, by Ken Blanchard, et. al.

This is a very good book. it is also available as an audio book that you can read during commuting. I used the audio book version.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, by Alexander Osterwalder

This is a really wonderful simplified business book I have ever read!

Communication:

Creating Communication: Exploring and Expanding Your Fundamental Communication Skills, by

Leadership:

The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization, by John C. Maxwell.

I hope this complied list would help toward getting an IT consultant with 360 degree awareness. You can see that I did not talk much about normal things like programming languages since I believe it is mandatory to be in the IT field. However, maybe in the future I will compile another deep technical list.