As we saw in the last essay, the 80:20 rule seemingly appears in many circumstances. When I was attending college and working as a programmer during the 80’s, there were some commonly accepted tenets that guided our software development processes and behaviors.

by Mary Poppendieck
Mary Poppendieck speaks at a Google TechTalk on the role of leadership in software development. She presents an interesting history on the philosophy of management and how it has morphed over the years to …

As a subscriber of Businessweek, I usually start from the back. That’s where Jack and Suzy Welch answer questions from the readers. In the June 30th publication, there is a quote from the Welch’s that hits upon a recurring theme of mine, and I’d like to share it. They talk about the challenge of balancing future requirements with current requirements.

It finally happened.  It was only a matter of time before the day of reckoning would strike.  Leading up to the crisis, you’d never have known there were clouds forming in the real-estate and credit …