Essay

Painless Software Schedules

Joel Spolsky · Joel on Software Free Intermediate

Spolsky shows why big vague tasks hide the truth and why breaking work into small pieces surfaces real progress. That is the same logic behind demanding demonstrable milestones from an agency: small units you can actually check. It also explains why 'we are 80 percent done' means almost nothing.

  • Break work into tasks small enough to verify in a day or two.
  • Vague large phases hide slippage until it is too late.
  • A percentage complete is not evidence, a working feature is.
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The question it answers

  1. What's a fair way to structure a milestone-based contract with a dev agency?

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