By bfwebster on Dec 28, 2009 in IT Project Management, IT project disputes, Main, Management, Pitfalls, Risk management, Surviving Complexity | 0 Comments
[cross-posted from brucefwebster.com]
Roger Sessions has published a white paper, “The IT Complexity Crisis: Danger and Opportunity” (PDF). It’s created a bit of a stir in tech circles, largely because Sessions estimates that “worldwide, we are already losing over USD 500 billion per month on IT failure, and the problem is getting worse” (page 1; emphasis [...]
By bfwebster on Jul 7, 2008 in Articles, Baseline, Development, IT Project Management, Main, Management, Pitfalls | 0 Comments
My latest Baseline column is up, talking about the challenges of a geographically-distributed software development project. Take a look. ..bruce..
By bfwebster on Jun 23, 2008 in IT Project Management, Main, Management, PMSE, Pitfalls, Recruiting | 0 Comments
[From Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming)]
Categories: managerial
Various industry studies cite the productivity gap between the best and the worst developers. While there is some controversy over the ranges often cited (such as the famous 26:1 figure), anyone who has managed a diverse group of developers won’t argue [...]
By bfwebster on Jun 23, 2008 in IT Project Management, Main, Management, Metrics, PMSE, Pitfalls | 0 Comments
[From Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming)]
Categories: managerial
That which gets measured gets accomplished or, at least, evaluated. That’s why various software metrics are used as an indication of progress and accomplishment. The best known and easiest to compute is lines of code (LOC), usually measured as thousands of [...]
By bfwebster on Jun 23, 2008 in Books, IT Project Management, Main, Management, PMSE, Pitfalls | 0 Comments
[From Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming)]
Categories: managerial
Self delusion and group delusion are all too common in software development projects. Several factors combine to bring this about. One is the natural optimism prevalent among software engineers, particularly when they are not allowed, encouraged, or required to spend sufficient [...]