1. List 4 of the methods for project recovery that McConnell describes in Rapid Development. (1/2 point each.)

Assess your current situation. Find out how crucial the deadline really is. Find out how fixed the feature list is.

Apply win-win thinking (Theory W).

Accept that you have to make big changes.

Be realistic about where you are. Admit that you are late and have missed many deadlines. Admit that you don’t know (yet) when the project will be done.

Restore the group’s morale. Do something dramatic to improve morale. Give people time off.

Solve personnel problems. Get rid of problem employees.

Solve leadership problems. Move or change technical leads and managers if possible.

Be careful about adding new people.

Help people use their time efficiently.

Allow people to work in their own way.

Make sure everyone paces themselves. Avoid burnout.

Fix major process errors. (Bad source control, bad bug tracking, too many meetings, too much noise.)

Create small, attainable deadlines.

Plan on normal working hours. Don’t count on overtime to solve the problem.

Track progress carefully.

Recalibrate schedules quickly if they are still slipping.

Only commit to a schedule when you know it to be realistic.

Stabilize the feature list.

Trim the feature list.

Get rid of troublesome (buggy) features.

Fix bugs and keep them fixed.