| 38. Take no small slips | |
| Problem | How long should the project take? |
| Context | The product is underway and progress must be tracked. |
| Forces |
If the project takes too long, developers become complacent and
you miss market windows. If it's too quick, developers become
burned out and you miss market windows. Projects without schedule motivation tend to go on forever or spend too much time polishing details that are either irrelevant or don't server customer needs. Failing to slip the schedule when progress has clearly stalled causes a "death march". Slipping the schedule at every sign of trouble can negatively impact confidence and morale. |
| Solution | Every week, measure how close the critical path coincides with the schedule. Any short-fall is tracked as a "delusion index". When the delusion index gets too ludicrous, only then slip the schedule. This avoids churning the schedule. [Chisholm] |