Why One-Shot Project Funding Fails for Software Development
By
Richard Mironov
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
The article argues that funding software development as one-time projects (building v1.0 and then moving on) is fundamentally flawed. Unlike physical goods like hammers, software requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and support. Organizations that treat software as a finite project inevitably face frustration, cost overruns, failure to deliver outcomes, and eventual abandonment of the work—only to repeat the cycle with a replacement project later. The author draws on extensive experience observing this pattern play out hundreds of times across different organizations.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledOrganizations that fund the building of software as one-time projects will inevitably be frustrated, fail to deliver outcomes, overspend, and eventually discard the work.
I've seen this play out hundreds of times.
A hammer is done when it leaves the factory, and it's mine when I buy it at my hardware store. I don't expect upgrades or support or new...
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