People begin programming before they understand the problem That is why do SWPM succeed That is why do SWPM fail.
Everyone likes to feel that they’re making progress That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
When the team starts to code as soon as the project begins, they see
immediate gains That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
When problems become more complex (as they always do!), the work gets
bogged down That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
In the best case, a team that begins programming too soon will end up writing
good software that solves the wrong problem That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
The team has an unrealistic idea about how much work is involved. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
From far away, most complex problems seem simple to solve That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Teams can commit to impossible deadlines by being overly optimistic and not
thinking through the work That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Few people realize the deadline is optimistic until it’s blown That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Defects are injected early but discovered late. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Projects can address the wrong needs That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Requirements can specify incorrect behavior That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Design, architecture and code can be technically flawed That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Test plans can miss functionality That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
The later these problems are found, the more likely they are to cause the
project to fail That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Programmers have poor habits – and they don’t feel accountable for their
work. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Programmers don’t have good control of their source code That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Code written by one person is often difficult for another person to understand That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Programmers don’t test their code, which makes diagnosing and fixing bugs
more expensive That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
The team does not have a good sense of the overall health of the project. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Managers try to test quality into the software. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Everyone assumes that the testers will catch all of the defects that were
injected throughout the project. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
When testers look for defects, managers tell them they are wasting time. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
When testers find defects, programmers are antagonized because they feel
that they are being personally criticized. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
When testers miss defects, everyone blames them for not being perfect. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Make sure all decisions are based on openly shared information That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
It’s important to create a culture of transparency, where everyone who needs
information knows where to find it and is comfortable looking at it. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
All project documents, schedules, estimates, plans and other work products
should be shared with the entire team, managers, stakeholders, users and
anyone else in the organization who wants them. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Major decisions that are made about the project should be well-supported
and explained. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Don’t second-guess your team members’ expertise That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Managers need to trust team members. \x01 That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Just because a manager has responsibility for a project’s success, it doesn’t
mean that he’s more qualified to make decisions than the team members That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
If you don’t have a good reason to veto an idea, don’t. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Introduce software quality from the very beginning of the project That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Review everything, test everything. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Use reviews to find defects – but don’t expect the review to be perfect. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Use reviews to gain a real commitment from the team. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
It’s always faster in the long run to hold a review than it is to skip it. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Don’t impose an artificial hierarchy on the project team That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
All software engineers were created equal. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
A manager should not assume that programming is more difficult or technical
than design, testing or requirements engineering. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Managers should definitely not assume that the programmer is always right,
or the tester is always raising false alarms. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Remember that the fastest way through the project is to use good engineering
practices That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Managers and teams often want to cut important tasks – especially
estimation, reviews, requirements gathering and testing. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
If it were faster to build the software without these practices, we would never
use them. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
Every one of these practices is about saving time and increasing quality by
planning well and finding defects early. Cutting them out will cost time and
reduce quality. That is why do SWPM succeed. That is why do SWPM fail.
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