[IGSTK-Developers] IEEE Spectrum: Why Software Fails

[Luis Ibanez]

IEEE Spectrum is featuring this month three
articles on Software Failure / Quality.

Particularly intersting are:

       "Why Software Fails"
        http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1685

and

       "The Exterminators"
        http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1454
        About the use of Formal Methods.



----


 From the first article it is worth to
highlight the following excerpts


Most common factors for failure:

    1. Unrealistic or unarticulated project goals
    2. Inaccurate estimates of needed resources
    3. Badly defined system requirements
    4. Poor reporting of the project's status
    5. Unmanaged risks
    6. Poor communication among customers, developers, and users
    7. Use of immature technology
    8. Inability to handle the project's complexity
    9. Sloppy development practices
   10. Poor project management
   11. Stakeholder politics
   12. Commercial pressures


and

The Software Hall of Shame table:

    http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1685/failt1

With a list of software projects that were cancelled
after a couple of billion dollars were spend on them.


---


   Luis