Model-based software estimation techniques (i.e., those based on counting elements of some kind of software system model, description, or specification) can be useful but they have numerous pitfalls and should therefore be used with care and deliberation. In this Advisor, I point out a few of those traps (this list is by no means complete nor sorted in any particular order):

One of the aspects that complicates managing global projects is the way our perceptions and our use of language shape meaning. Yes, English is the langua franca of managing these projects, but do we use a common language or do we use the same words -- meaning something different or disguising hidden meaning?

As a project manager, I want to know about the health of the projects in my sphere of influence. I've recently observed what I call the "free bagel" measure of project health. Although seemingly unscientific, it has an excellent record of indicating project health.

The trend to outsource key business and technical processes will create challenges in regulatory compliance and improving internal controls. There is no US SEC, OECD, or EU definition of what constitutes outsourcing, but most agree that it is an activity transferred to a third party that would otherwise be administered and processed internally.

In working with a client recently, I came up with a new and somewhat whimsical term: virtual collocation. At first, the term looks pretty silly, as a team is either collocated or it's not -- but if we can have virtual teams, why not virtual collocation?

Creating IT project portfolios has become a hot topic in the IT community. The idea is to minimize the business risk created by IT projects being acquired, developed, or operated through diversification. That is, the organization invests in a range of IT projects that have varying levels of risk so that no single IT project, if it goes sour, will place the business at undue risk.

Fifty percent of all software projects are total failures and another 40% are partial failures, according to widely quoted surveys in the UK, USA, and Norway. Large government projects in all three countries have been reported, with spectacular failure and expense to taxpayers.

Customer relationship management (CRM) vendor Siebel Systems, Inc., has been hit with a number of setbacks recently, ranging from poor sales to replacement of its CEO by angry investors. Now, Siebel is facing additional pressure due to speculation that it is about to be acquired. Specifically, rumor has it that the company is in talks with Oracle Corporation regarding a possible merger.

There has been a recent explosion in information security problems, lapses, and scams. For example, the company ChoicePoint, a premier provider of decision-making intelligence to businesses and government, revealed in February 2005 that a major security lapse "enabled fraud artists posing as legitimate businessmen in Los Angeles to access personal information about at least 145,000 people around the country" [1].

Data warehouse and business intelligence developers often view the quality assurance organization as the keeper of the keys to the kingdom of production release. When the system is considered complete, they hand it over to QA for final acceptance.