Why Software Deadlines Always Slip (And Why Everyone Seems Fine With It)
Software project deadlines consistently slip across the industry, a phenomenon observed by senior delivery managers over decades. Despite extensive data showing high failure rates in meeting deadlines, the ritual of setting deadlines continues unchanged. This article explores the reasons behind this persistent issue, including requirements churn, hidden complexity, and cognitive biases in planning.
- ▪More than two-thirds of large-scale technology programs fail to deliver on time, on budget, or to scope.
- ▪The Standish Group's CHAOS Report indicates that only 31% of projects are successful, while 50% are challenged and 19% fail outright.
- ▪Practitioners identify requirements churn, hidden complexity, and the planning fallacy as key reasons for missed deadlines.
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try { if(localStorage) { let currentUser = localStorage.getItem('current_user'); if (currentUser) { currentUser = JSON.parse(currentUser); if (currentUser.id === 3906866) { document.getElementById('article-show-container').classList.add('current-user-is-article-author'); } } } } catch (e) { console.error(e); } Arthur Posted on May 18 • Originally published at pickles.news Why Software Deadlines Always Slip (And Why Everyone Seems Fine With It) #projectmanagement #devculture #softwareengineering #estimation Every senior delivery manager I have ever known has the same career anecdote. They have never, across some round number of years, watched a major release ship on the date set at kickoff. Not once.
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