Project Proverbs
The same work under the same conditions will be estimated differently by ten different estimators, or by one estimator at ten different times
The most valuable and least used word in a project manager’s vocabulary is “NO”
You can con a sucker into committing to an unreasonable deadline, but you can’t bully him into meeting it
The more ridiculous the deadline, the more it costs to meet it
The more desperate the situation, the more optimistic the situatee
Too few people on a project can’t solve the problem – too many create more problems than they solve
You can freeze the clients specifications, but he won’t stop expecting
Frozen specifications and the abominable snowman are alike :- they both are myths, and they both melt when sufficient heat is applied
The conditions attached to a promise are forgotten, and the promise is remembered
What you don’t know hurts you
A client will tell you anything you ask – but nothing more
Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient one is the only correct one
What is not on paper has not been said
No major project is ever installed on time, within budget, and with the same staff that started it
Projects progress quickly until they become 95% complete; then they remain at 95% complete forever
If project content is allowed to change freely, then the rate of change will soon exceed the rate of progress
No major system is ever completely debugged; attempts to debug a system inevitably introduces new bugs that are even harder to find
Project teams detest progress reporting because it vividly demonstrates their lack of progress
