I was rummaging around one of my bookcases the other day when I came across Fred Brooks’ software engineering classic, “The Mythical Man-Month.” The book, first published in 1975, is based on Brooks’ experience managing the development of IBM’s OS/360. It succinctly dissects the various factors that can make or break a large software development project. These include:

-        Project planning,

-        Assembling the right team,

-        Conceptual or design integrity,

-        Formal specifications,

-        Team communications,

-        Version control, and

-        Need for common toolsets.

The title theme should be familiar to even those who are way too young to remember a computing era dominated by machines like the IBM System/360. The idea of the “mythical man-month” suggests that you can’t necessarily reduce the time it takes you to complete something by adding resources.

In fact, Brooks maintains that adding too many resources can dramatically elongate delivery times. While some of the examples Brooks cites are certainly dated (e.g. “state of the art” is a 2MB machine with 400KB devoted to its operating system), his central tenets are as valid today as when the book was first published.

Seeing the book invoked two reactions in me. The first was a reminder of just how old I am. The second was to wonder if we are really that much smarter today about how we plan and manage our supply chain system selection and implementation projects than we were back in the card punch era.

Part of me says “yes.” We have the tools, methodologies and discipline to avoid Brooks’ tar pits. We have learned from the mistakes of past generations. But part of me can’t help but marvel at the repetitiveness of some of our mistakes. They must be classics, because people are so fond of them.

I attended a presentation earlier this year on the reasons that software conversion projects fail. The presentation cited an interesting statistic: Approximately 38% of implementation projects led by a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) fail.

One can certainly challenge this number, as it is highly dependent on the definition of failure. But many supply chain systems implementation projects do sub-perform despite employing structured methodologies and project management best practices.

There are many potential causes for failure that are beyond the control of any project management team. Flawed business cases, selection processes and vested internal interests can stack the deck against success. Some projects certainly fall into the tar pits due to project management practices. But others fail despite employing best project management practices.

I believe that our project management tools and approaches are better today. However, implementing a supply chain execution system still remains a very complex proposition for many operations.

So are we really that much smarter today? Do we still pursue the mythical man-month?

-- Tom

Tags: supply chain execution system, pc technology