The false illusion of rapid progress

Article#: 00102

Date: 2024-10-16

Author: Radim

Is your project going according to the plan so far? Yes? Congratulations! But isn't this at the expense of an increase in technical debt?
Often a project seems to be running quickly and smoothly, but under the surface problems can accumulate that later lead to unexpected delays, standstills or even the abandonment of the project. This is a typical scenario where technical debt accumulates.

Technical debt represents compromises that the development team makes at the expense of the system's long-term sustainability. These compromises can take many forms and are often the result of deadline pressure or laziness. Here are some practices that speed up work in the short term, but in reality lead to delays and major problems in the future:

1. Unclear or incomplete requirements: If all requirements were not thoroughly gathered and filtered at the beginning of the project, significant changes to the concept might arise later, requiring complex adjustments.

2. "Sweeping problems under the rug": When problems arise, it may be tempting to postpone dealing with them so as not to delay the project. However, ignoring these issues can lead to their escalation into critical errors.

3. Harvesting the "low-hanging fruits" first: At the start of a project, there is often a focus on easy tasks that quickly deliver visible results. While this may create an impression of rapid progress, more complex tasks might await later, significantly slowing down the progress.

4. Insufficient testing: If not enough time is invested in testing, problems may only occur after implementation, making it more complicated and costly to fix. Proper testing must be an integral part of every stage of development.

5. Lack of iterations: Without enough feedback cycles and iterations on the product, the final result may not meet customer or user expectations, leading to the need for major adjustments later on.

6. Poor-quality work and lack of documentation: If work is not done cleanly and documentation is lacking, problems are accumulated that will be costly to fix in the future. A team following after us, or even we ourselves, will have to spend time understanding what was neglected in the past.

7. Poorly planned tasks and coordination: If tasks are not planned well so that they follow each other logically, this can lead to unnecessary waiting times, delays and work conflicts.

8. Unclear roles and responsibilities within the team: If roles and responsibilities within the team are not clearly assigned, confusion and delays can occur. This is especially dangerous if key people are not engaged in time for tasks or are not available later when needed.

© Radim-Automation, 2020–2025. All rights reserved.
Sharing of this article is permitted with proper attribution (link to the original page).

Related previous articles:

• An irreplaceable employee
• Dedicated employees
• Keep everything you need together
• Make backups, make small changes and test a lot
• Code formatting
• Maintain order in the program code
• Keep the documentation up to date throughout the project
• Version control system
• My boss was a hero
• Diagnostic tools
• Event logger as the very first function implemented in the program
• Talk to operators
• Documentation issues
• Visual modeling
• Choice of programming language
• Variable names
• Knowledge gained from a completed project is priceless
• Machine modularization
• Abbreviations
• Modular software architecture
• Hardware concept
• A good concept = Complete set of suitable solutions
• Are there also any disadvantages?
• Think critically!
• Learn from your journey!
• Project leader
• Why do automation projects fail?
• Collect all the requirements and sort them!
• Who will operate?
• Functional and intuitive HMI
• Use a usefull styleguide!
• Write and accept only readable code!
• Who knows it?
• Appoint a representative!
• Are the people planned for this task really available?
• Set your goals for today, tommorow, this week ...
• Write down your best practices and processes!
• HMI and PLC applications should grow together
• Prepare a good project plan and keep it up to date!
• Is the way really the goal?
• Do you really want to start with this?
• Store email messages in the project folder!
• I can see what you can not see
• More than just start and stop
• Do the right things and do them right!
• Define test scenarios and test cases continuously!
• Write a project diary!
• Keep the answers to the question "Why"
• Everything is difficult until it becomes easy
• Introduce the terminology and standardize it!
• Industrial evolution - Listen to your customers and follow new trends!
• Stay alert!
• Have an expert on hand!
• What does the customer need?
• Don't disappoint your customer!
• Ask questions!
• Assign tasks efficiently!
• Request bottom-up input!
• Communication skills are extremely important
• Don't replace employees in the middle of the project!
• Develop a sense of responsibility!
• Recruit and retain the best employees!
• Get the things done with a small, motivated team!
• Focus on target!
• Avoid overly optimistic estimates!
• 9 women can't make a baby in a month
• Sharpen your axe before you start felling!
• Understand - Agree - Be Identified - Believe
• Don't hide any problem!
• Check the result!
• Keep it simple!
• Don't leave a work package half-finished!
• Success is not a matter of coincidence
• Choose the right tool!
• Good communication is important
• Development is evolution
• Follow the vision!
• Don't neglect and don't skip any step!
• Transparency and reliability
• From an idea to a consistent system

Comment#: 00001

Date: 2025-03-14

User: Radim

A project is like a puzzle:

Project preparation and concept development are like carefully gathering all the pieces of a puzzle. The project implementation phase is then about putting them together.

If the preparation is thorough, the pieces fit together very well and the process is seamless. However, if the concept is not well thought out, problems arise: Some parts are missing, others are superfluous or don't fit.

At the beginning of a project, we have a lot of space and flexibility. It's easy to find the right parts and everything seems to be under control. But the real challenges often come at the end - when there are only a few pieces left and we expect a smooth finish. If the concept was solid, the puzzle can be completed effortlessly. But if it wasn't, we suddenly realize that important pieces are missing or don't fit together.

We have already invested a lot of time, effort and money in the project!
So what now?

Have you ever experienced a situation where the final pieces of a project didn't fit? How did you handle it?