Corporate and commercial software-development teams all want solutions for one important problem--how to get their high-pressure development schedules under control. In RAPID DEVELOPMENT, author Steve McConnell addresses that concern head-on with overall strategies, specific best practices, and valuable tips that help shrink and control development schedules and keep projects moving. Inside, you'll find:? A rapid-development strategy that can be applied to any project and the best practices to make that strategy work? Candid discussions of great and not-so-great rapid-development practices--estimation, prototyping, forced overtime, motivation, teamwork, rapid-development languages, risk management, and many others? A list of classic mistakes to avoid for rapid-development projects, including creeping requirements, shortchanged quality, and silver-bullet syndrome? Case studies that vividly illustrate what can go wrong, what can go right, and how to tell which direction your project is goingRAPID DEVELOPMENT is the real-world guide to more efficient applications development.