Effective Software Project Management

Foreword

The Declaration of Interdependence (that Bob Wysocki, I, and others co-authored) documents the fundamental principles that underlie an agile-adaptive approach to project management. (See www.apln.org for the complete Declaration.) Two of these principles, are particularly relevant to this book:

• We improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally specific strategies, processes, and practices.

• We expect uncertainty and manage for it through iterations, anticipation, and adaptation.

No two people are alike. No two teams are alike. No two projects are alike. Yet many organizations and project managers attempt to “standardize” projects, essentially trying again and again and again to pound square pegs into round holes. I’ve watched team after team attack high-risk, high-uncertainty projects with meticulously laid out plans that were complete and utter fantasy. Furthermore, most team members knew that the plan was fantasy, but if you have only square pegs, you use square pegs.

Bob introduces us to square, round, triangular, and polygonal pegs—just the right one for specific situations. But even better, he helps us figure what kinds of holes we have. It’s one thing to have a principle that says “situationally specific,” but what are the situations? How many do we have? What are the key characteristics that define a “situation” for a project manager? Bob introduces us to a simple but powerful concept to guide practitioners in defining holes (the situation) and then presents ...