PatternLanguageForRottenProjectsOngoing

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Discussion Page for the Pattern Language for Rotten Project OT session. You can read about this session at 1

Please use this page to develop and discuss the Patterns and Anti-Patterns created by attendees at our workshop.

By all means edit and enhance the patterns, but please keep them well formatted under their headings. If you want to discuss the patterns use the section below each pattern rather than annotate the Patterns themselves.

Name

  • Arbitration Workshop.

Context

  • There is a communication barrier preventing project milestone deliverables from being achieved.

Problem

  • How do we address communication issues when they arise?

Forces

  • Client unease due to apparent misunderstanding of required deliverables.
  • Frustration of primarily contract development team.
  • Cash flow challenge to project management.

Solution

Resulting Context

Related Patterns

Discuss Arbitration Workshop here:

Name

  • Direct Hire Contract Staff (Alternative Pattern).

Context

  • We have a requirement for additional resource.

Problem

  • How do we deliver on time when we have more work than can be done with the current staff levels?

Forces

  • Need to avoid financial penalties of late delivery.
  • Need to win work over the competition.
  • Need to avoid employing permanent staff as that may result in a surplus later.

Solution

  • Hire individuals who claim to have the right skills instead of subcontracting and retain control by managing them directly.

Resulting Context

  • Retain greater control of the project.
  • Higher administration costs.
  • Requirement to identify and hire the correct skills.
  • It may be difficult to find the specialist skills if they are in short supply.
  • Earlier validation of project deliverables.

Related Patterns

  • Subcontract work overload.

Discuss Direct Hire Contract Staff here:

Name

  • Drowning in Resource (Anti-Pattern).

Context

  • The deadline is unachievable because there is too much work for the team to deliver in the time available.

Problem

  • How do we finish on time?

Forces

  • We are not in control of the deadline.
  • We have been told that the scope is not up for negotiation.

Solution

  • Add people to the team.

Resulting Context

  • Work slows down while the team adjusts to new members which can result in a further demand for resource, perpetuating the problem.

Related Patterns

  • Work at any cost.
  • Cutting corners.

Discuss Drowning In Resource here:

The classic work on this is Fred Brooks' "The Mythical Man-Month", which has recently been republished in a new edition. -- Don Dwiggins

Name

  • Keep subcontractor at arms length (Anti-Pattern).

Context

  • We have decided to outsource some of the work.
  • The subcontractor and client may be in one time zone while we are in another.

Problem

  • How do we retain control over the project and ownership of the client?

Forces

  • We don’t fully trust the subcontractor (they may be a former competitor).
  • The subcontractor may look more attractive to the client than we do.
  • We wrote the proposal to incorporate key technologies so we need to make sure the contractor uses them.
  • We have not worked for this client before and we want to win more work in the future.

Solution

  • Establish procedures for formal communication and insist on following the legal terms of the contact.
  • Insist on delivery to agreed timetable.

Resulting Context

  • Quality of deliverable doesn’t meet client expectations.
  • Communications breakdown.

Related Patterns

Discuss Keep Subcontractors at Arms Length here:

Name

  • Someone Else’s Problem (Anti-Pattern).

Context

  • Software development projects are hard to estimate for.
  • Payment for work done may be delayed until after delivery.

Problem

  • How do we assess sales performance?

Forces

  • Sales people need to be motivated.
  • The value of the sale isn’t known until the project delivers.
  • Sales people are not accountable for software delivery.

Solution

  • Measure sales people by contracted work.

Resulting Context

  • We win the work contract.
  • The work is uneconomic.
  • The team get demoralised through being asked to deliver work to an unachievable deadline.

Related Patterns

  • Work at any cost.

Discuss Someone Else's Problem here:

Name

  • Subcontract Work Overload (Anti-Pattern).

Context

  • We have accepted too much work.

Problem

  • How do we deliver all of the work we have accepted when we have accepted too much.

Forces

  • Avoid financial penalties for late delivery.
  • We have to win work over our competition.
  • We want to avoid taking on permanent staff because they may be surplus to requirements later.

Solution

  • Take on subcontractor staff who claim to have the correct skills.

Resulting Context

  • Potential conflict of objectives.
  • Too many interested parties.
  • Long communication channel.
  • Late delivery.
  • Did not meet client specifications.
  • A system delivered.

Related Patterns

Discuss Subcontact Work Overload here:

Name

  • Work at Any Cost (Anti-Pattern).

Context

  • Sales people are only measured on their success at winning work.
  • They are not accountable for the delivery once the work has been secured.

Problem

  • How do we win work?

Forces

  • We are desperate to win work.
  • The market if very competitive.
  • Company needs to make money.

Solution

  • Promise to deliver whatever the customer wants whenever they want it.

Resulting Context

  • We win the work contract.
  • The work is uneconomic.
  • The team get demoralised through being asked to deliver work to an unachievable deadline.

Related Patterns

  • Drowning in Resource.
  • Cutting Corners.

Discuss Work At Any Cost here:

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