--Originally published at Memogcia blog
More software projects have gone awry for lack of calendar time than for so all projects have gone awry for lack of calendar time other causes combined. Why this cause of disaster is common? First, our techniques of estimating are poorly developed. seriously, they reflect true, i.e., that all will an unvoiced assumption which is More quite un- go well. Second, our estimating techniques fallaciously confuse effort with progress, hiding the assumption that men and months are interchangeable. Third, because we are uncertain of our estimates, software managers often lack the courteous stubbornness of Antoine’s chef. Fourth, schedule progress is poorly monitored. Techniques proven and routine in other engineering disciplines are considered radical innovations in software engineering. Fifth, when
schedule slippage is recognized, the natural (and is to add manpower. Like dousing a fire with makes matters worse, much worse. More fire re- more gasoline, and thus begins a regenerative cycle which traditional) response gasoline, this quires ends in disaster. Schedule monitoring will be the subject of a separate essay. Let us consider other aspects of the problem in more detail.
