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Why is software project estimation so often wrong?

July 11, 2013 1 Comment
Why is software project estimation so often wrong?

Thanks to Michael Swain (via a Facebook post), I ran across this explanation of why software projects are so often underestimated: Let’s take a hike on the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles to visit our friends in Newport Beach. I’ll whip out my map and draw our route down the coast: The line […]

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RISE: The Psychology of Computer Programming (Gerald M. Weinberg, 1971/1998)

May 21, 2012 2 Comments
RISE: <b>The Psychology of Computer Programming</b> (Gerald M. Weinberg, 1971/1998)

[The first of a planned series of posts on “Readings in Software Engineering“] [Version 1.1 of this post, revised/extended on 05/22/2012] The Psychology of Computer Programming, Gerald M. Weinberg, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1971. Hardbound, 288 pages. Personal acquisition date: 17 Oct 1978. Original edition out of print. The Psychology of Computer Programming […]

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Pitfall: Using the wrong developers

June 23, 2008 0 Comments
Pitfall: Using the wrong developers

[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 with […]

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Pitfall: Confusing training with skill

March 27, 2008 0 Comments
Pitfall: Confusing training with skill

[From Pitfalls of Modern Software Engineering by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming)] CATEGORIES: conceptual Training is the acquisition of information and practices geared toward a certain end. For example, send a group of engineers to a conference with seminars on object technology, hold a class on C++ programming, or give them a set of books and […]

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Truth in advertising

January 18, 2008 0 Comments
Truth in advertising

I don’t know how long this want ad for a “Manager of Technical Engineering” will remain (unaltered) on the net, but the following excerpt is amusingly honest (emphasis added): Must be able to support all needs of the VP of Customer Support. This includes collaborative thinking in such areas as resource allocation, personnel actions, departmental […]

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