Process Myths
1. Process is pure overhead
(Here is a
blog post
by someone who believes this. How would McConnell reply?)
Thrashing is overhead, and process reduces thrashing.
2. Process stifles creativity and decreases morale.
("lifecycle magic")
Process streamlines the clerical work so programmers can focus on the
creative part.
3. Process is overly bureaucratic
- Projects are usually larger than they appear. If you think you
have too much process, it will probably turn out to be just right.
- Starting with too much process and relaxing some of the processes
later on is easier than trying to add additional processess once a
project is under way.
- The penalty for too much process is far smaller than the penalty
for too little.
- You can have fairly sophisticated processes (like McConnell's)
with little overhead.