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Ready

Why Most Software Projects Fail and How to Fix It

Max Guernsey, III and Luniel de Beer

Most delivery problems aren't caused by the code, the team, or the work management process.

They start upstream: with how requirements mature (or don't).

Ready introduces Requirements Maturation Flow (RMF), a system for gating, clarifying, and aligning work — before it starts and without changing your framework.

If your Sprints end in carryover, rework, or delivering the wrong thing, RMF is the structural fix you've been missing.

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About

About

About the Book

Ready is a book for anyone tired of underdelivery, chronic rework, and unclear requirements in their software development pipeline.

You may already have tried investing in team execution skills, improved implementation of your process framework, or refurbishing the code and still need more improvement.

This is because the principal constraint for most software development teams is not team skills, it's requirements maturity. Even mature teams with the right skills still struggle when they are working to immature requirements.

Ready introduces RMF (Requirements Maturation Flow), a practical and deeply structured approach to aligning Product and Engineering without replacing your existing process.

Whether you're using Scrum, Kanban, or something custom, RMF helps you stabilize scope, eliminate carryover, and deliver what actually matters.

If your teams feel stuck at the edge of "almost done", this book will show you how to break the cycle and unblock your team(s) for good.

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ScrumAgile EnterpriseBusiness and IT AlignmentAgileScrumEngineering ManagementProduct ManagementTeamwork

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Author

About the Authors

Max Guernsey, III

Max is a seasoned veteran of the software industry with nearly three decades of experience in a wide variety of technologies and domains.

Leanpub Podcast

Episode 323

An Interview with MaxGuernseyIII

Luniel de Beer

Luniel de Beer is a software product and delivery systems architect focused on the structural causes of failure in modern software development. His work centers on how software is defined, validated, and made ready for execution before it is built.

He is the author of *Ready: Why Most Software Projects Fail and How to Fix It*, and the creator of the Requirements Maturation Flow (RMF), PKB-Driven Development (PKBDD), and Producore’s Capability Management system—an integrated body of work designed to replace informal requirements and fragmented collaboration with structured, persistent product knowledge, enforced readiness, and end-to-end traceability.

Luniel works at the intersection of product, engineering, and delivery, helping organizations establish clarity, accountability, and control across teams and systems. His work challenges conventional approaches to Agile and requirements by addressing the missing foundations that prevent software from being consistently understood before execution begins.

Leanpub Podcast

Episode 322

An Interview with Luniel de Beer

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Contents

Table of Contents

About This Book

Who This Is For

How to Use This Book

About the Authors

Preface

  1. Something Is Missing

The Hidden Problem

The Cost of Missing Foundations

Introducing Requirements Maturation Flow (RMF)

Is It Agile?

  1. Creating Space for Readiness

The First Extension

Why Don’t People Do This?

Explicit Readiness Work (RMF 1)

Effects of RMF 1

Putting RMF 1 Into Practice

  1. Gating Completion of Work

The Next Need

What People Usually Do

Defining a Definition of Done

Bespoke Definition of Done (RMF 2)

Life With RMF 1 & 2

Installing RMF 2

  1. Gating Implementation

The Final Requirement

Background on Definition of Ready

Defining a Definition of Ready

Bespoke Definition of Ready (RMF 3)

  1. Synthesis

Most Deadlines Don’t Matter

Competency 1: Requirements Maturation Flow

How Work and Information Flows in Scrum with RMF

The Impact of RMF

Transitioning to RMF

It’s Up to You

  1. Resources

Appendix A: Scrum Is Not the Problem

Appendix B: The Synapse Framework™

Appendix C: Common Objections and Obstacles to RMF 1

Appendix D: DoD Starter Criteria Lists

Appendix E: DoR Starter Criteria Lists

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