ABSTRACT
Having the right people on a project team is certainly key to the success of a project. In a large pharmaceutical company, the lead designer walked off a very important project. Obviously, that set the team back to a large extent because no one else had enough experience to do what he did. Even if the IT staff stays put, it is always possible that a “people” issue will negatively affect a project. For example, a change in senior management may mean that the project you are working on gets canned or moved to a lower priority. A project manager working for America
Table 1.1 Classic Software Development Project Problems
People-Related Mistakes
Process-Related Mistakes
Product-Related Mistakes
TechnologyRelated Mistakes
Undermined motivation
Overly optimistic schedules
Requirement gold-plating, i.e., too many product features
Silver-bullet syndrome, i.e., latching onto new technology or method that is unproven for project
Weak personnel Insufficient risk management
Feature creep Overestimated savings from tools or methods
Uncontrolled problem employees
Contractor failure
Developer gold-plating, i.e., use of technology for the sake of using that technology
Switching tools in middle of project
Heroics Insufficient planning
Push me-pull me negotiation, i.e., constantly changing schedule
Lack of automated source code control
Adding people to late project
Abandonment of planning under pressure
Researchoriented development, i.e., stretching limits of technology
Noisy crowded offices
Wasted time before project starts, i.e., approval and budgeting processes
Friction between developers and customers
Shortchanged upstream activities, e.g., requirements analysis, etc.
