When I poseted Branisgton's Laws awhile back, I do know who Brasington is, just saw a few of his laws in another list. I got an email from "Bil" Brasington:
I added Brasington's Laws to a list of additions and modifications tp Murphy's law, sometime back in the early 80's and passed it on via BBS. It was meant to be a somewhat amusing look at a serious problem. The "Laws" have been quoted in several publications but you are the first that put my name on it. I would be interested in where you found the list since I can't. I lost it somewhere along the line from DOS to Windows 7. Not looking for credit (seeing it quoted in a serious publication is satisfaction enough) just like to see the whole list again.
W.A. "Bil" Brasington
I got a second email from Bil with the actual laws:
- No major project is ever installed on time, within budget, or with the staff that started it. Yours will not be the first.
- Projects progress quickly until they become 90% complete, then they remain at 90% complete forever.
- One advantage of fuzzy project objectives is that they let you avoid the embarresment of estimating the corresponding costs.
- When things are going well, something will go wrong. When things just get any worse, they will. When things appear to be going better you have overlooked something.
- If project content is allowed to change freely, the rate of change will exceed the rate of progress.
- No system is ever completly debugged. Attempts to debug a system will inevitably introduce new bugs that are even harder to find.
- A carelessly planned project will take three times longer to complete than expected; a carefully planned project will take only twice as long.
- Project teams detest progress reporting because it vividly manifests their lack of progress.
- Project teams are happy to scrap work, but only after is has been planned, designed, and partially implemented.
Thanks Bil, these are priceless.
