Nobody likes to think that they make mistakes Making changes means talking about past mistakes – and admitting that they are mistakes! You may make a great case for change, and still fail to convince people to do it. Because change is uncomfortable, people in organizations will resist it. Project managers who try to change their organizations run into several common excuses when trying to implement tools, techniques and practices. | UNDERSTANDING CHANGE Applied Software Project Management WHY CHANGE FAILS The short answer: politics Many project problems are bigger than just your project You have to make changes to the way people in your organization work Your ideas on how to improve the way work is done will not always be evaluated rationally CHANGE IS UNCOMFORTABLE Nobody likes to think that they make mistakes Making changes means talking about past mistakes – and admitting that they are mistakes! You may make a great case for change, and still fail to convince people to do it. COMMON EXCUSES Because change is uncomfortable, people in organizations will resist it. Project managers who try to change their organizations run into several common excuses when trying to implement tools, techniques and practices. COMMON EXCUSES: WE ALREADY BUILD SOFTWARE WELL “This is just the way software projects always go.” People know that there are problems with the schedule and quality, but think that nobody ever does any better If you bring up past failures, you are trying to blame people This leads to an environment where it’s not possible to admit that projects go wrong COMMON EXCUSES: “NOT INVENTED HERE” SYNDROME People intentionally avoid research or innovations that were not developed within the organization Yes, NIH syndrome really happens! The idea that “we’re different” leads to immediate resistance to outside ideas In some small organizations, it’s even worse: “Our ‘quirks’ mean we’re better.” COMMON EXCUSES: IT’S “TOO THEORETICAL” When ideas don’t make intuitive sense, they are dismissed as merely academic Many “hands-on” managers must personally see a practice in place before they will accept its value Especially common in small teams facing growing pains COMMON EXCUSES: IT JUST ADDS MORE BUREAUCRACY Any work other than programming is wasteful “busywork” that keeps the “real work” from getting done. “If I just add more programmers, it will . | UNDERSTANDING CHANGE Applied Software Project Management WHY CHANGE FAILS The short answer: politics Many project problems are bigger than just your project You have to make changes to the way people in your organization work Your ideas on how to improve the way work is done will not always be evaluated rationally CHANGE IS UNCOMFORTABLE Nobody likes to think that they make mistakes Making changes means talking about past mistakes – and admitting that they are mistakes! You may make a great case for change, and still fail to convince people to do it. COMMON EXCUSES Because change is uncomfortable, people in organizations will resist it. Project managers who try to change their organizations run into several common excuses when trying to implement tools, techniques and practices. COMMON EXCUSES: WE ALREADY BUILD SOFTWARE WELL “This is just the way software projects always go.” People know that there are problems with the schedule and quality, but think
