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Erik Gfesser

📍 Greater Chicago Area

HAPI Announcement: Upcoming Releases

Following several years of consulting in healthcare, I used HAPI (HL7 Application Programming Interface) for the first time a couple years ago as part of the solution I architected for a client network of hospitals (more on my usage of HAPI in upcoming posts). Since this initial adoption, the open

Past Book Review (November 23, 2008): "Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development"

Past book review (i.e. posted prior to starting this blog) for Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development, by James O. Coplien and Neil B. Harrison, Prentice Hall PTR, 2004, reposted here: There must be other readers who find a bit awkward the following comments provided within the first page

Past Book Review (August 16, 2008): "Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises"

Past book review (i.e. posted prior to starting this blog) for Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises, by Roger Sessions, Microsoft Press, 2008, reposted here: Effective architecture books are difficult to find. The subject is not trivial. And disagreements are prevalent in this space, even on the definition of architecture

Software Engineering: 40 Years

During the summer of 1998, I visited Germany for the first time, backpacking solo cross-country throughout former West Germany while not neglecting to visit some key sites in former East Germany. Some of the most pleasurable destinations in former East Germany included Berlin (most notably the incredible Pergamonmuseum), the Harz

New Book Review: "The Strategy Paradox"

Recently posted book review for The Strategy Paradox: Why Committing to Success Leads to Failure (and What to Do About It), by Michael E. Raynor, Currency Doubleday, 2007, reposted here: Raynor explains through several case studies that poor luck is usually the cause of company failure, not poor planning or

Personal Reading List: 3Q2009

My personal reading list for July, August, and September 2009. Color Key: Special Notes, Currently Queued, Completed Reading . Updated throughout the Quarter. Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships, by Ross Dawson, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. First Among Equals: How to Manage a Group of Professionals, by Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister,

New Book Review: "Selling the Invisible"

Recently posted book review for Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by Harry Beckwith, Business Plus, 1997, reposted here: Almost 150 reviews at this point for this text, spanning consistently over a period of the 10 years it has been written. This reviewer recalls the recent "

New Book Review: "Leadership Beyond Reason"

Recently posted book review for Leadership Beyond Reason: How Great Leaders Succeed by Harnessing the Power of Their Values, Feelings, and Intuition, by Dr. John Townsend, Thomas Nelson, 2009, reposted here: Townsend explains quite plainly in his introduction that "great leaders succeed by harnessing the power of both the

New Book Review: "The Consultant's Scorecard"

Recently posted book review for The Consultant's Scorecard: Tracking Results and Bottom-Line Impact of Consulting Projects, by Jack Phillips, McGraw-Hill, 1999, reposted here: It is quite surprising that more reviews have not been written about this text by Phillips, because it is seemingly rather difficult to find other

New Book Review: "Managing Humans"

Recently posted book review for Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager, by Michael Lopp, Apress, 2007, reposted here: A lot of reviews for this work have been posted here already, including a few which puzzlingly complain about the substance of what Michael Lopp has to