From: "Bruce D. Wedding" 

"I love deadlines, especially the sound they make as they go swishing
by." Douglas Adams

JG >> "I complete roughly 75% of my major software projects on time."

That in itself is very impressive.  I'm guessing you write small programs?

JG>> Here's how to do it:  Start with a clear idea of what is to be
delivered."

9 out of 10X, the customer doesn't have this so how will you get it?  In my
experience,
you get it by finding out what he doesn't want.  You get that by writing
code and then
having him object to how your wrote it so you rewrite it.

JG>> Next, add a sane schedule.  (An old engineer can tell you how to create
JG>> a sane schedule.

God, I want to work in your world.  In my world, marketing and management
create the schedule.
Any input from engineering is promptly disregarded.

JG>> Design to handle more complexity, usually a LOT more
JG>> complexity, than the project appears to need at first glance.

Good suggestion.  I do this.  It is one thing I CAN control.

JG >> Implement the essential functionality first.  Add nonessential
functionality
JG >> in order of decreasing priority.

Exactly what XP suggests and I have intuitively done for years.  Good advice.

I think you have some good thoughts Jon.  Unfortunately, in the world of
the corporate
programmer and not a consultant bidding a job, we are not at liberty to do all that
you suggest.  I recall presenting a schedule to a project manager that had every
resource working 24 hours a day to meet the due date.  My intention was to show him
that the goal was impossible.  His pointy headed boss answer was to
"reduce some of the
task estimates!"

Damn, I was already assuming things went perfect as it was.  There was no room for
error, verification problems, design changes, etc. Do you think he listened too me?
If so, I've got a bridge you may be interested in.

--- BBBS/LiI v4.01 Flag-5