Death march : the complete software developer's guide to surviving "Mission impossible" projects

1. Introduction. Death March Defined. Categories of Death March Projects. Why Do Death March Projects Happen? Why Do People Participate in Death March Projects? Summary.2. Politics. Identifying the Political “Players” Involved in the Project. Determining the Basic Nature of the Project. Identifying the Levels of Commitment of Project Participants. Summary.3. Negotiations. Rational Negotiations. Identifying Acceptable Trade-offs. Negotiating Games. Negotiating Strategies. What to Do When Negotiating Fails.4. People in Death March Projects. Hiring and Staffing Issues. Loyalty, Commitment, Motivation, and Rewards. The Importance of Communication. Team-Building Issues. Workplace Conditions for Death March Projects. Summary.5. Processes. The Concept of “Triage”. The Importance of Requirements Management. SEI, ISO-9000, and Formal vs Informal Processes. “Good Enough” Software. Best Practices and Worst Practices. The “Daily Build” Concept. Risk Management. Summary.6. Tools and Technology. The Minimal Toolset. Tools and Process. The Risks of Choosing New Tools. Summary.7. Death March as a Way of Life. Why Would Death March Projects Become the Norm? Establishing a Death March “Culture”. Death March Training. The Concept of “War Games”. Summary.Index.