The first step toward the management of disease was replacement of demon theories and humours theories by the germ theory. That very step, the beginning of hope, in itself dashed all hopes of magical solutions. It told workers that progress would be made stepwise, at great effort, and that a persistent, unremitting care would have to be paid to a discipline of cleanliness. So it is with software engineering today.

Successful software always gets changed.

How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time.

Process improvement is most valuable in raising the floor of a community's practice.

More software projects have gone awry for lack of calendar time than for all other causes combined.

Nine people can't make a baby in a month.

Software and hardware design is less different than software designers think, but more different than hardware designers think.