More software projects have gone awry for lack of calendar time
than for all other causes combined. Why is this cause of disaster
so common?
First, our techniques of estimating are poorly developed. More
seriously, they reflect an unvoiced assumption which is quite un-
true, i.e., that all will 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
traditional) response is to add manpower. Like dousing a fire with
gasoline, this makes matters worse, much worse. More fire re-
quires more gasoline, and thus begins a regenerative cycle which
ends in disaster.
In June 2026 we were late for the Wardogs beta build. In this instance I apologized and said the only way I thought we could get the game into beta, was by working an extra 2 hours a day Monday through Thursday, for 4 weeks (16 working days total)," he tells Eurogamer.
If that sounds confusing, it's because they were doing 4 day weeks...
3 Comments
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 2d
Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., The Mythical Man-Month
https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~weimerw/2018-481/readings/mythical-man-month.pdf
TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 2d
Too late
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
If that sounds confusing, it's because they were doing 4 day weeks...
Even when "crunching"