AntiPatterns in Project Management (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Hays W. "Skip" McCormick III (Author), Scott W. Thomas (Author) "Fortunately, there are organizations that decide that they must change processes to keep up-to redirect the train..." (more)
Key Phrases: refactored solution, evolutionary delivery lifecycle, derived technical requirements, Visual Basic, Glass Case Plan, Batteries Not Included (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written for the project manager or IT professional, AntiPatterns in Project Management describes 18 "AntiPatterns" that can go wrong in the realm of software project management, plus management techniques and tips to overcome them. Filled with real-world insight and case studies that describe actual projects gone awry, this title gives a solid measure of management expertise that can help you succeed with your next project.

Early sections of the text set the tone with management techniques that stress standards and rigorous software processes. The authors discuss the importance of managing people, technology, and processes for successful project management. While most books on patterns keep descriptions short and almost schematic, an entire chapter--filled with background material on the causes, solutions (or "refactoring") to move beyond it, and examples borrowed from the field--is devoted to each AntiPattern. (The names of companies have been changed, which makes for less dramatic reading, although this was no doubt a legal necessity.)

Anyone who has worked in software development will recognize many of the AntiPatterns here. First, bad management and bad management practices get their due--managers who don't or can't manage, projects that are late and require that staff be added at the last minute, and obstreperous employees (or "corncobs") who can't or won't work in teams.

Descriptions of technology AntiPatterns include troubles with distributed technologies, lack of architecture, demos that grow into unusable "finished" software, and software that hasn't undergone any planning at all. When it comes to process management, things can go wrong, too, as in the case of misapplied software life cycles. (In this section, the book lists no fewer than nine different software life cycles from which you can choose.) Other process AntiPatterns include customers who drive software design all the way through to disaster, the "domino effect" of changes to staff that can destroy team effectiveness, and management that demands adherence to an already late shipping date. Final sections show how these AntiPatterns often occur in conjunction. The book concludes with some "critical aspects" for successful project management.

Although a bit theoretical at times, this title has plenty of practical advice on improving your everyday project-management success. As the authors note, the great majority of software projects today are considered failures. By reading this savvy and well-organized volume, and analyzing what can go wrong, you can improve the odds in your favor in future development efforts. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to AntiPatterns for project managers
• Standards, refactoring, and solutions for AntiPatterns
• Case studies
• People-management AntiPatterns (Micro-management, Corporate Craziness, The Brawl, Size Isn't Everything, Chaos, and Process Disintegration)
• Technology management AntiPatterns (Batteries Not Included, Distributed Disaster, Gilding the Lily, Wherefore Art Thou Architecture, Killer Demo, and One-Shot Deal)
• Process-management AntiPatterns (Planning 911, Lifecycle Malpractice [including nine software life cycles], The Customer/Too Many Hands in the Soup, One Size Fits All, The Domino Effect, and Myopic Delivery)
• AntiPattern collisions
• Best practices for project management
• Strategies for improving project management

Review

"...an interesting book that contains a lot of material..." "If you care about being a good manager you will read this book..." -- Overload, September 2000

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (July 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471363669
• ISBN-13: 978-0471363668
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,067,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, disappointing execution, June 29, 2001

By	Trond Wingard (Oslo Norway) - See all my reviews

The basic idea of the book is good: Identify and classify commonly occuring project management problems (AntiPatterns), discuss them a bit, and present a solution.

However, the book mostly fails to deliver.

For one, the book has imposed a superficial and poorly fit structure to the description of every AntiPattern. The result is that lots of information, like the causes and results of the AntiPattern, will be described two or three times in slightly different forms. This bloats the book needlessly. If a different form had been selected - say, a collection of essays - the book could have been 150 pages instead of the massive ~450 pages it is now.

Another reason the book fails, is that many of the solutions seem firmly planted in old thinking about project management as advocated by SEI, NASA/SEL, and others. Significantly, change is mostly regarded as evil. One of the recommended solutions to change in the Chaos AntiPattern is "Develop a software development plan and stick to it". In the Gilding the Lily AntiPattern (a.k.a. "Gold Plating"), it states that "Often the architects and developers must be physically prevented from making changes." Also, while incremental or iterative development is carefully mentioned in places, most of the solutions fit best with linear, phased, and pretty inflexible development paradigms. The book would have benefited from using solutions from more agile methodology thinking.

A third reason is that some of the solutions don't attack the root causes at all. The one and only solution to the Process Disintegration AntiPattern (where people don't follow the process because it is too heavy) is to institute an internal, no-process-at-all, developer-driven project. But how does this solve the problem for all of the company's normal projects that, presumably, are still expected to follow some normal process? The book doesn't say.

The book is not totally hopeless, though. It can be useful to be aware of most of the AntiPatterns and their causes, as well as some of the solutions.

But in the end I wouldn't recommend this book neither to inexperienced project managers - who wouldn't be able to recognize what solutions are good and what are bad - or experienced project managers, who would be enlightened enough to already know what they can do, or if not, would benefit much more from reading other books.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Admiration and Warning, July 2, 2001

By	Thomas G Stratton (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews

This is certainly an enlightening book, bringing up many points to consider. The writers are experienced, and though this results in an overly authoratative tone at times, their work is sound. The problem I have with the book is not actually the book itself. If a project manager can be so opened-minded as to step back and look at the problem with an accurate perspective, having a clear idea of all the facts of the case, they should be able to use this book to accurately diagnose and fix the problems they face. If they can't do that this book may be less useful.

On the other hand, reading this book adds perspective, which may be enough to help one step back from the situation and reevaluate.

In addition, since the authors reference their earlier works frequently, it might be best to read the other books first.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Read for Project Managers, December 4, 2002

By	Robert Witte (Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very talented software engineer highly recommended this book to me as an engineering manager. I was intrigued to find that some of the Amazon.com reviews were sooooo negative. However, I bought the book anyway and found it to be quite useful.

The book uses the methodology of AntiPatterns, which is a hot topic in the software development community, to analyze problems with project management. This is simultaneously the book's strength and its weakness. Antipatterns are just one tool; one way of looking at the world; one way of analyzing a situation. Another useful addition to the toolkit is always welcome and the book clearly delivers one. On the other hand, if you are looking for the unified theory that will solve all project management problems, it doesn't deliver on that. (I am still looking for that book.)

One reason the book might receive mixed reviews is that it does have a tone of irreverence towards management. For example, in the Executive Summary, it says "The primary cause of software development failure is the lack of appropriate project management." While this may be true, some project managers may not enjoy reading about it. Similarly, the book has a tendency to identify the root cause of problems as "haste, ignorance or sloth", most likely on the part of management. This may be true, but perhaps not all that helpful or enjoyable to read.

Overall, I found the book to provide a valuable perspective on software project management. The book will not solve all of the world's project management problems but that's OK with me.
Read the book and use the principles wisely.