Chapter 15. Signing Up

Most software development projects have aggressive plans and schedules. Rare is the project that is not attempting something new or otherwise ambitious. Management always wants it as quickly as possible, and the risk element is ever-present. And most developers have previously worked on at least one project that has failed; some of them have been involved in projects that almost immediately fell behind and then seemed to painfully go on forever. So whenever a new project is proposed, developers and their managers are wary; what will be different this time?

Because a scared team is an ineffective one, it is important to overcome this initial trepidation. The wrong way to do it is to order special t-shirts and have a party. ...

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