Making the Software Business Case: Improvement by the Numbers

8Maneuvering the MazeWeb-Based Economy Case Study

The most important thing that must happen is the replacement of the “normal culture” fordeveloping software with the “radical” culture embodied in death march projects. Thischange won’t happen quickly or easily, for much of the bureaucracy will arguestrenuously for the continuation of the older approaches. But, the savvy organizationwill acknowledge that if the first death march project succeeds, the successwill be largely a matter of luck and stubbornness on the part of the team.If the organization wants subsequent death march projectsto succeed with any predictability, it must change.

—Ed Yourdon [1997]

For Openers

Your boss just read an article about John Welch’s push to use the Internet ...