Beyond normal failures : Dynamic management of software projects

The skillset focusing on the life cycle of projects is critical to both understanding and practising sound management. In practice, attention is often paid to the actions and procedures required to build the system to the detriment of the tasks that are essential in managing the project. Discrete attempts to create such systems often lead to a mismatch between, system, expectation and a changing reality. This paper looks beyond discrete processes as Part of an effort to generate a dynamic model. The rationale for a Dynamic Feedback Model stems from the need to focus on a continuous and long-term. perspective of development and growth in change-intensive environments. The paper makes the case for a learning and knowledge-driven view of software development and presents such a model in a way that accounts for the long-term survival, growth and evolution of software-intensive systems-crucial areas in terms of the success of systems. While the emphasis is on the development of software, which is pervasive in most systems, the key issues appear to pertain to most technical development projects and environments.