Project management is a continuous process of planning, executing, measuring, and re-planning. It’s the process of meeting your commitments in spite of all the change and obstacles along the way. It’s a tool for managing change and complexity. It’s hard, and because some aren’t successful with it or don’t do it well, it doesn’t mean that project management is not valuable. Sometimes we blame poor execution on the process or the tools, but too often in software management it’s the skill that is at fault. The difference between the 300 Avg. batter in baseball and the 200 Avg. batter isn’t the bat, the ball, or the rules of the game, it’s the skill of batter. If we can focus on the skill rather than debate the need for the tools, we can progress the practice of software management to higher levels because skills can be improved with practice and education.

Why does it take so long to deliver software products? Many stakeholders ask this question during the course of a software development project.  It’s interesting when the developers ask this question because they know what …