Chapter 1 – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Explains some of the common misconceptions about mobile app development and gives some reasons why so many app projects fail.

• App Projects Are Not Small and Easy
  • Defining Project Failure
  • Getting Clarity on Functionality
  • Project Success Is Mostly About Estimates
  • Which Means Project Success Is Also About Scope
  • The Specter of Unprofitability
• Apps Are Not Easy to Program
  • Our Expectations Were Set By the Web…
  • …And Then Invalidated in Mobile
  • Mobile Apps Are Outside Your Control
• Poor Skill Set Fit
  • Example: Threading on the iPhone
  • Your App Isn’t Just Any App
• If You Get a Good Programmer, You Still Have to Worry
  • Inexperienced Members of an Experienced Firm
  • Subcontractors
  • Juggling Resources
  • Contractor Company Overhead
  • It’s Important to Know What You’ve Signed Up For
• The Idea Is Not More Important than the Execution
  • There Is No Idea So Good That It Can’t Be Poorly Executed
• Unwillingness to Delegate: Micromanaging
• Bikeshedding
• Poorly Defined Requirements
• Out-of-Date Requirements Documentation
• Constantly Changing Requirements
• Leaving the Worst for Last
• Cost Overruns
  • Unnecessary Staffing
  • Unnecessary or Wasteful Work
  • Unproductive Billable Time
  • Unexpected Bugs
  • Unforeseen Circumstances
  • Poor or Changing Requirements
  • Poor Initial Estimation
• That Last 10%
• The Whack-a-Mole Problem
• Poor Communication
  • Making the Most of Meetings
  • Examine the Project’s Artifacts and Ask Questions Contemporaneously
  • Insist on Getting a Plan
• Abdication of the Management Process
• Wrapping Up