John Baez has a Crackpot Index he uses for scientific theories. Here are his points:
- 5 point starting credit.
- 1 point for every statement that is widely agreed on to be false.
- 2 points for every statement that is clearly vacuous.
- 3 points for every statement that is logically inconsistent.
- 5 points for each such statement that is adhered to despite careful correction.
- 5 points for using a thought experiment that contradicts the results of a widely accepted real experiment.
- 5 points for each word in all capital letters (except for those with defective keyboards).
- 5 points for each mention of "Einstien", "Hawkins" or "Feynmann".
- 10 points for each claim that quantum mechanics is fundamentally misguided (without good evidence).
- 10 points for pointing out that you have gone to school, as if this were evidence of sanity.
- 10 points for beginning the description of your theory by saying how long you have been working on it. (10 more for emphasizing that you worked on your own.)
- 10 points for mailing your theory to someone you don't know personally and asking them not to tell anyone else about it, for fear that your ideas will be stolen.
- 10 points for offering prize money to anyone who proves and/or finds any flaws in your theory.
Maybe we can construct a similar index for project management theories and processes.
- 3D WBS will build a schedule for you in 1/10 the time, yes 1/10, that is 10 times faster - probably not
- Self directed teams are best for solving complex problems - except when spending other people's money on a fixed schedule and budget, with a mimimal set of features.
- Football self organizes within the boundaries of the playing field, so should software development teams - really, no play books, no called plays, no positions, no team captain, no coach calling in plays from the side line?
- Self organizing appears without a central authority - not true at any level, we'd have to suspend the laws of physics.
