How to manage a project

The essentials of project management in under 500 words

Why do we need so much software?

Software is everywhere, but you can’t see it. You know it’s in your phone, your computer, your home appliances and your electric meter, but do you know why? This article explores the reasons for the explosion of software.

Software development – not by PERT alone

Software is abstract, invisible and runs at extreme speeds. People who are good at building software have to possess talent at visualization and a willingness to use complex tools. When software developers become project managers (PMs), they rely on software tools to monitor, control and report on projects, just as non-technical PMs do. Problems technologists have as managers relate to people, including conflict, collaboration and just plain old listening well.

What’s wrong with complexity?

We tend to design things that are complex, and that can be our undoing.

Technical debt and causes of software instability

“Technical debt” refers to releasing software products that have significant bugs in them.  The cost of removing the bugs after release must be paid if the software is to survive in the long run.  So the concept is similar to financial debt: the longer you leave it unpaid, the more you must pay in compound […]

No silver bullet

Software is in everything and we and our businesses depend on it more and more. Yet Software Quality is not rising, so we have rising numbers of failure incidents and out-of-control costs in maintaining software. What should you do about it?

What’s different about mobile apps?

The adoption of smart phones across a wide cross-section of the world has opened up a new arena for business application software: mobility. This article outlines what’s different about mobile “apps” – and what remains the same as desktop PC software.

Why isn’t software more secure?

What makes software insecure? What vulnerabilities are there in software? Why are they always discovering new holes & vulnerabilities in our software and systems? Doesn’t testing take care of these problems? What’s an enterprise to do about insecure software?

Is your software stable or static?

In most professions, it’s good to have stability in the things you work with. With software, stability is good, but often we confuse static with stable. They are not the same. Static software decays and becomes useless.

Why is software maintenance so expensive?

When we purchase a piece of software – even as a service – we tend to think that the major expense is finished with the purchase price.  But it’s not true.  Whether you buy, build your own, or rent software, it always costs more in ongoing expenses than the initial price.  Why? Developing software is […]