- #36
SixNein
Gold Member
- 122
- 20
nsaspook said:The problem I see is the 'Dark Side' of software engineering with some failed IT projects like Cover Oregon. The problem is called lying. It's knowing that deadlines and milestones can't be met in the beginning and 'lying' about it. People don't like to hear the L-word but it's often the root of the failures we see in large software (and hardware) systems. It's just too damn easy to create mythical front-end demos that dazzle when the people who will actually construct the system know it's all a big lie when they write the estimated project costs, schedules or status reports. I'm not talking about 'hype', just flat out lying about the true scope and complexity to get the ball rolling with a 'we'll fix it later' software management system.
The complexity of many software projects are beyond a single human's ability to fully understand; as a result, cost estimation is extremely difficult. Basically, cost estimation is a educated guess based on prior history and other metrics associated with requirements.
Prototypes are used by software engineers in order to test user requirements. Many layman make incorrect assumptions about prototypes because people associate interfaces with completed software. So sometimes people think the project is almost ready even though it is in early development.