Finding My Articles

Here's a list (and short synopsis) of the articles I've written on project management and software technology.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

These articles are in the online journal ProjectsAtWork.com, so you can read them in their natural habitat. (Note: to read these pieces online, you'll have to register with projectsatwork.com. It's free, and worth doing because there's a lot of good stuff on this site.)

This list will, of course, grow over time, so check back now and then.

Choosing Your Armor (11/05): An ancient Celtic warrior and a modern software developer learn about the value of protective gear, be it chain mail or change control.

All Pain, No Gain (12/05): Ah, the sweet smell of unnecessary requirements! How to sniff these things out and keep them from bleeding your project.

The Ring Project (4/06): Aragorn had everything going for him, while Frodo had next to nothing--but in the end, the hobbit reached his goal. Why? And what does this tell us about project success?

Here's the Problem (7/06): Ninety percent of all requirements are about what constitutes a good solution. But do you know what problem you're solving?

Let's Be Careful Out There (10/07): A project is more like a motorcycle ride than a battle--the odds are you won't actually need your "armor." So how do you remind yourself to put it on?

Old Ware Stories (9/08): A tale of late-blooming requirements, organizational geometry and geography, and a project that had a mandate to change everything except how we do our jobs. Part One of two.

How Many Miracles? (10/08): A project declares "success" after falling far short of its objectives. Then it turns around and makes even more grandiose plans for the next phase. Why do we do such things? And how many "miracles" must a project need before we say, "that's one miracle too many for it to have a hope of succeeding"? Second of two parts.

Book Review: Perfect Software and Other Illusions About Testing (2/09): A review of Jerry Weinberg's book on software testing, which is really about testing just about anything. I wish the people who designed the system of standardized tests called "No Child Left Behind" had read this book...


SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY:

Back before everything went Web, I wrote (or co-wrote) a few articles that wound up on old-fashioned paper. You can download PDF files of these articles by clicking HERE.