How to Use This Book
- Introduction
Why Software Delivery Stalls
What “Quality” Means
When Metrics Can Hurt
What Holds Back Change
The New Angle
- Delivery Is Slow, Blocked or Unpredictable
Chronic Iteration Carryover
Deluge of Defects
Disruptive Unplanned Work
Constant Back-and-Forth on Requirements
Delivery Slows as Organization Grows
Work Marked Done When It’s Not
Time Wasted Repeatedly Fixing the Same Things
Low Morale from Burnout
Late-Stage Rework
Work Consistently Blocked Waiting for Clarification
Work Consistently Blocked by Foreseeable Impediments
Progress Stalls Due to Coordination Overhead
Work Held Open Because “Done” Keeps Changing
Work Fragmented/Rushed at the Ends of Cycles
- Work Fails to Produce Business Outcomes
Lots of Activity, Little Progress
Late Disagreements about Scope
Completed Work Frequently Reopened
Inconsistent Interpretation of Requirements or ACs
Work Gets Done but Isn’t Accepted
Top Priorities Do Not Get Done
Teams Interfere with Each Others’ Work
- Work Cannot be Completed Predictably
Wildly Wrong Estimates, Consistently
Work Spins out of Control
Inability to Predict Impact (Even w/Effort)
Scope Cut Late in Project
Trust in Commitments Breaks Down
Deadlines Force Compromised Delivery
Deadlines Regularly Missed
- Cost of Change is too High
Teams Avoid Certain Kinds of Changes
Work in Certain Areas Sluggish
Long Stabilization Phases
QA/Testing Bottlenecks
Unsustainable Codebase
The Rewrite Cycle
Skyrocketing Cost of Ownership
Unstable Codebase
Work Quality Degrades Near Deadlines
Quality Collapses Right before Delivery
Defects Spike After Delivery
Spikes in Technical Debt
