Frederick Brooks
8 key ideas, each explained in our own words.
The Mythical Man-Month
- IDEA 1
People and months are not interchangeable
Brooks, who managed IBM's huge OS/360 project, argues that the man-month, measuring work in people multiplied by time, is a dangerous myth. Software work cannot simply be split among more people to finish faster.
- IDEA 2
More people can slow a project
Brooks observed that adding programmers to a late project usually delays it further. Newcomers need training, and the number of communication paths grows rapidly. Time spent bringing newcomers up to speed and holding more discussions can outweigh the extra hands.
- IDEA 3
Communication costs grow fast
Brooks explains that as teams grow, the time spent coordinating increases sharply. Large teams can spend more time talking than building. Every new member adds links with all the others, so the web of talking grows quickly.
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