As I have explained elsewhere, I am in the process of writing a book entitled Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering (or “PMSE”, pronounced “pimsee”). This is a greatly expanded (both in size and scope) revision of a book I published back in the mid-1990s, Pitfalls of Object-Oriented Development (M&T Books, 1995). As I write or revise these pitfalls, I have been posting them to this website.
In order to make them a bit easier to browse, I am listing on this page all the pitfalls that have been posted as blog entries; you can get to any given pitfall simply by clicking on it. This list will eventually include several hundred pitfalls. I post new pitfalls each week; the newest ones will usually be at the top of this list. Feedback is always welcomed.
Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering (posted to date)
Managerial pitfalls
- Using the wrong developers
- Using the wrong metrics (or none at all)
- Lying to yourself and others
- Not identifying and managing risks
- Adopting a technology or methodology without well-defined objectives
- Misjudging relatives costs
- Allowing new features to creep (or pour) in
- Allowing the specification to drift or change without agreement
- Attempting too much, too fast, too soon
- Abandoning good software engineering practices
Political pitfalls
- Not educating and enlisting management before the fact
- Underestimating the resistance
- Overselling the technology or methodology
- Not recognizing the politics of architecture
- Getting religious about the technology or methodology
- Getting on the feature release treadmill
- Betting the company on a given technology or methodology
- Picking the wrong horse
Conceptual pitfalls
- Adopting a new technology or methodology for the wrong reason
- Thinking a new technology or methodology comes for free
- Thinking a new technology or methodology will solve all your problems
- Confusing buzzwords with concepts
- Confusing tools with principles
- Confusing training with skill
- Confusing prototypes with finished products
- Confusing approach with results
- Asking the wrong questions
