The Best Practices Are Those That Are Used
Success in development requires that managers embrace tools, processes
October 15, 2000 —
(Page 1 of 4)
The Internet is changing the way software is developed. Already, Web-based tools, platforms and portals have added a new dimension to the concept of collaborative application development.
Unfortunately, one thing hasn't changed-project management or, rather, the lack thereof.
It's not that tools for good project management don't exist. In fact, there are some 80 or 90 project-management tools and 40 or 50 cost-estimating tools, according to Capers Jones, a renowned authority in the field of project management. The problem is that managers and developers have not embraced them; fewer than 15 percent of project managers use these tools, according to industry research.
"It is surprising that many project managers try to do plans and estimates manually," said Jones. "In my view, manual estimates for large systems constitute professional malpractice on the part of the project managers."
Jones is not alone in his harsh criticism of industry practices. "Project management is a matter of professional practice and personal discipline," said Dr. Karl Wiegers, principal consultant at Process Impact, a consultancy that focuses on software process improvement. "Software people talk a lot about project management; they'll price out many tools, buy a few and use almost none. It's a sad commentary on the industry."
Part of the problem is that project management encompasses many tasks-planning, modeling, scheduling, requirements, costs, risk management. It can seem overwhelming, especially to managers and developers not trained in these areas. "Why do we assume that because someone is a programmer he can do cost estimates, work with a customer on requirements or do testing, without any training," Wiegers asked.
As for developers? They don't want to sit in planning meetings; they want to code. "That's the fun part," Wiegers said. "And, managers and customers perceive the only useful thing is code. People aren't thinking in terms of repercussions."
So even as the Internet holds the promise of faster development, with more collaboration and access to tools, the success rate of those projects is doomed to languish, these experts believe, as long as good management practices remain unused.
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