Easy and effective team work using MVC, agile development, source control, testing, bug tracking, and more

• Work more effectively as a team by breaking up complex PHP projects into manageable sub-parts
• Develop code that is much easier to maintain with source control, agile principles, and project tracking
• Apply techniques related to process models, collaboration among team members, and continuous long-term improvement
• A precise guide with examples to illustrate practical benefits

In Detail

Given the nature of the business environment today, organizations that want to build value-added enterprise PHP applications need a team of PHP people rather than an individual. You've got a team! What next? Customizing such applications to meet with organizational objectives and maintaining these applications over time can be quite a tedious task for your team with so many people involved.

In this book, you will explore how you can break up complex PHP projects into simple sub-parts that multiple team members can work on. The book highlights the use of the MVC pattern for separating concerns in the application and agile principles to deliver code that works. You will learn to blend the simplicity and power of PHP with evolving software engineering principles and tools to easily develop code that is easy to maintain. With this book in hand, you know how to avoid getting muddled up while working in a team and achieve success on your project with effective team work.

Organizations choose PHP as the preferred language for complex web applications because it is battle tested, hardened over time, and proven to work. Thus, chances of the software project you are involved with being PHP-based, are very high. Soon, you will need to explore the technical as well as non-technical aspects that are important to achieve success in PHP team projects of this kind. This book starts by explaining the need for teams working on complex software projects. You learn how you can divide the complexity of PHP projects with the help of the MVC pattern and the use of frameworks. It then discusses the need for a process and how you can choose the right process. It teaches you how to use agile principles to deliver working software for customers, and how to make sure that the team collaborates effectively. Towards the end, the book emphasizes continuous improvement in process and product as well as the people involved. You learn how to ensure that your team is open to change and user feedback, and has the right mindset about quality and other project-related aspects.

What you will learn from this book?

• Reduce your development time by using MVC to break down complexity in PHP projects
• Effectively use PHP frameworks to achieve project success
• Master the concepts of effective collaboration, choosing the right process, and continuous long-term process improvement
• Apply agile methodologies and pick up the practices that best suit your project
• Catch and eliminate bugs early using source control and bug tracking tools

Approach

This book looks into PHP projects mainly from an enterprise view. The author's experience enables him to give you an overall picture of PHP projects and discuss factors that contribute to project success in a clear and precise manner.

Each chapter focuses specifically on how the techniques covered will make team work easier. Examples (rather than abstract best practices) are used to illustrate the practical benefits.

Who this book is written for?

This book is for PHP developers who work in teams on complex PHP projects. With this book in hand, it is easy to discover the secrets of successful PHP projects that meet today's complex enterprise demands.

This book can also be useful for project managers who are looking to be successful with PHP projects. Those who are stakeholders in PHP projects, such as clients, or those who want to sponsor PHP projects, can also learn what to expect and how to deal with a PHP project team with this book.