It Quote by Patrick Gleeson
““In this chapter we've seen that, unlike when building a house, when it comes to software it's almost impossible to know what you want. And even if you did know, it would be impossible to know how long each part would take to do. And even if you did know the theoretical length of each task, it would be impossible to work out the amount of time it would take an actual team of a specified size to do it. Which goes some way to explaning the sordid catalogue of failure that is the history of software projects over the last fifty years.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Tech Talk on Software Project Management, 2015
Software projects are inherently unpredictable; requirements and timelines cannot be precisely known in advance.
In simple terms: Software plans are uncertain.
Key Takeaway
Accept uncertainty and iterate.
Themes
uncertainty
software development
project management
Mood
cautious
realistic
Type
advisory
analytical
When to use this quote
- planning
- risk assessment
- team sizing
- progress tracking
Key Concepts
complexity
risk
estimation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can teams adapt to unknown requirements?
- What methods improve estimate accuracy?
A Different Perspective
Even with best estimates, external factors can derail schedules.
