THE GAME’S AFOOT

My first exposure to project management methods came many years ago when, as a software development lead, I took a seminar in software project management. I knew there had to be some way to improve how my team got its work done, but I wasn’t convinced that what we did warranted the honorific title of “project,” and I had my doubts about the “management” part.

The instructor started off the seminar with two remarks that immediately put me at ease. First, he said we should consider everything we do as a project. Whether we are developing software, moving to a new apartment, or building a space station, we need to plan, observe, and react. Then, he presented two analogies to project management. One was the symphony conductor, who merely coordinated the activities of the musical experts in the concert hall. That model, he warned us, simply didn’t work in the software industry.

Instead, he suggested Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character Sherlock Holmes as the exemplar. Always looking for clues, always thinking ahead and balancing multiple possible outcomes, ever ready to react to his opponent’s movements, Doyle’s detective displayed all the analytical skills, imagination, and ingenuity that software project managers need to succeed. We could also learn something from his “style,” the instructor suggested: Holmes “managed” nothing, but he also never lost control.

In that same spirit, I hope you will find this book indispensable as you match wits with that mysterious and elusive opponent, “successful software development.”

Bruce Kelsey
South Amana, Iowa