The Laws of Software Process

91

Of Methods and Models and Minds

It is lack of attention to the last two points that has doomed more meth-

ods than anything else. The development and attempted implementation

of highly complex methods and models can result in the project team hav-

ing to learn more than if they did not use the methods. This is a net reduc-

tion in productivity, and unless the methods provide real value elsewhere,

people will just stop using them. The lack of attention to the environment

is the major objection that the Agile movement has been trying to address.

A key element of the environment is the need for flexibility and for the

method application to be done in some reasonable time, usually defined by

a business constraint such as a committed delivery date or market ...