Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects

Greater risk brings greater reward, especially in software development. A company that runs away from risk will soon find itself lagging behind its more adventurous competition. By ignoring the threat of negative outcomes—in the name of positive thinking or a can-do attitude—software managers drive their organizations into the ground. In Waltzing with Bears, Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister—the best-selling authors of Peopleware—show readers how to identify and embrace worthwhile risks. Developers are then set free to push the limits. • makes aggressive risk-taking possible • protects management from getting blindsided • provides minimum-cost downside protection • reveals invisible transfers of responsibility • isolates the failure of a subproject. • schedule flaws • requirements inflation • turnover • specification breakdown • and under-performance. Waltzing with Bears will help you mitigate the risks—before they turn into project-killing problems. Risks are out there—and they should be there—but there is a way to manage them.