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.

Imagine facing a tight deadline in a competitive market, and having to design and build an ambitious amount of functionality with a set team.

What if it took you or your team weeks to come up with a reliable project estimate? What if, at the same time, an ambitious deadline and an impatient boss were haunting you for a fast answer?

While some of us may miss the traditional project team model, the ad hoc team is here to stay. In fact, as staff turnover and shortages approach the levels experienced during the late 1980s, and as global outsourcing grows, the incidence of ad hoc teams will increase. Indeed, anecdotal evidence shows that within most IT groups, ad hoc teams now constitute the vast majority of teams.

While some of us may miss the traditional project team model, the ad hoc team is here to stay. In fact, as staff turnover and shortages approach the levels experienced during the late 1980s, and as global outsourcing grows, the incidence of ad hoc teams will increase. Indeed, anecdotal evidence shows that within most IT groups, ad hoc teams now constitute the vast majority of teams.

There is a legal concept called "theft of corporate opportunity," which means a person or persons in a company exploits an idea or business opportunity properly belonging to the company.