Foreword

Software development has come a long way.

Back in the dark ages of our profession, we clung to classical models rooted in traditional approaches to project management. Requirements were specified, then frozen, and it was off to the races. The cycle was clear: Plan the work, then work the plan. Results were, shall we say, mixed.

The problem often turned out to be a puzzling one. The software development organization could declare victory and demonstrate that they had delivered on the specified requirements. But from the business’s point of view, the system was destined to be a failure, and this was often obvious from the moment of delivery. Why?

Because change happens. All significant software development efforts last sufficiently long ...

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