[landongn]

The real issue is communication, not necessarily budget, as the reason software projects I've been exposed to fail.

A project manager can only get you so far, especially if the team dynamic is rotten or even sub-par.

Management is never really the answer to me, even saying that as a coder who splits time as a manager. At the end of the day, if your team doesn't have the right dynamic -- soft skills or otherwise -- I don't think they've got a great chance of success regardless of how much budget or process you can throw at them.

[lordnacho]

This is very true. I hadn't touched on the cultural aspects of why things get managed poorly.

One thing to note is when the guy calling the shots is not a programmer. It's simply hard to see all the things programmers have to do, other than typing out code. It's also hard to see why some guy wrote a bug if you're never the guy who is responsible for it.

Have a look at sports teams. The coaches tend to be ex players, even if at a very low level.

The other thing about manager types is things never go wrong for them in a way that is purely them. When I worked in marketing, I'd never get stuck on a PowerPoint slide for days. Problems were always organizational, and someone else was always involved. Sales guys aren't selling fast enough. Fab guys are stuck with their new process. PR people have the wrong message.

It's very easy as the organizer to just think all the problems are due to other people.

[wpaladin]

Very true. Except that budget is a limiting factor when it comes to communication as well. A team is going to put much less energy and thought into communicating if they have their hands full.