For a lot of companies, driving a project to release can feel a lot like blindly navigating a massive ship through iceberg-laden waters. When the 3 Perils of Software DevelopmentTM—Defects, Delays, and Dollars—are threatening to sink you at every turn, sometimes all you need is a guiding light…
| Even over a hundred years later, the story of the Titanic still remains a frighteningly-accurate analogue to large-scale failures the world over. If you’ve ever been involved with a major software project, chances are you can relate to this better than most. |
Ever since my youth, I’ve been utterly fascinated by the story of the RMS Titanic.
Before you ask—no, it’s not because of James Cameron’s heavy-handed 1997 film (which I’ll begrudgingly admit was half-decent). I’ve always found the whole story mesmerizing—and no part more so than the tragic lesson it taught humanity when it went under (alongside a massive slice of tragedy). Not only was its sinking an unparalleled maritime disaster; it also served a stern warning of the consequences of careless ambition.
Now, if those two follies were limited to the creation of seafaring vessels in the early twentieth century, we’d have learned our lesson in April 1912. Unfortunately, that’s not the case at all—and even over a hundred years later, the story of the Titanic still remains a frighteningly-accurate analogue to large-scale failures the world over.
And if you’ve ever been involved with a major software development project, chances are you can relate to this better than most.
Much like the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage, major software projects find themselves in perilous waters from almost the very moment of their inception. As IT teams struggle to balance the demands of the business with the capabilities of their team, the 3 Perils of Software DevelopmentTM—Defects, Delays, and Dollars—emerge on the horizon, threatening to sink the initiative at any point. And with major software projects now carrying multi-million dollar corporate investments, even the slightest setback here can be disastrous—let alone the catastrophic consequences (think massive reductions in scale or outright cancellations) that can potentially follow.
If this sounds eerily familiar to you, you’re not alone. In 2012, Standish Group reported that only 6 percent of major software projects release on time, on budget, and with their originally-anticipated scope—52 percent miss on at least one of those three, and 42 percent are cancelled altogether!
So what do you do when your project seems helplessly adrift in these icy waters? You do exactly what sailors did (and are still doing)—find help to get home safe. Ever since the days of antiquity, lighthouses provided this very kind of navigational aid. Whether it was by marking the entrances to ports or outlining potential hazards like reefs or shoals, their beacons kept sailors out of danger.
This metaphor wasn’t lost on our current President and CEO, Jeff Van Fleet, when he founded the company in 2000—in fact, it’s our very namesake. Since day one, it’s been our mission to keep your projects safe from harm by illuminating the best possible path forward. Whether it’s software testing, project management, IT staffing, or something else entirely, our discipline and expertise help keep your precious cargo safe from the 3 Perils—all the way up to (and beyond) the day it releases.
The imminent danger of the 3 Perils can be just as invisible as the iceberg that the Titanic struck. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a team of lookouts on board who can spot them sooner than anyone else?
Cheers,
Mike Hodge
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
