How important are development teams to the success of a software project? Does team structure really matter? To a varying degree, most of us believe that it does. After all, almost two decades ago, Cutter Business Technology Council Fellows Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister showed that most issues that arise in technology projects are people issues, not technical ones, and successful projects consistently give significant weight to the human factor [2].

After 20 years of focus on teaming in industry, teamwork effectiveness in IT projects remains hit or miss. While some teams are highly effective and others highly ineffective, most are of middling effectiveness. Statistics on IT project success support this observation all too well. One recent study indicates that three in 10 IT projects still fail, and that's after great strides to improve IT project management and risk [1].

Why does this condition persist? Is this the way it has to be? If not, what will increase team effectiveness across the board?

Lately, I've been paying attention to my memory, or perhaps lack of it. I've noticed that, among other things, lapses are often related to the number of parallel tasks going on in my head. The more tasks I have to think about, the more I forget. So I try to focus on only a few things at a time; better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly.

Teamwork: what other management topic commands so much commentary with such little performance certainty?

Everywhere you turn, there is seemingly no end to the number of articles that discuss technology organizations that are out of focus with company needs. Yet while there is much press coverage of the problem, the issue is hardly new.