Software projects fail for one of two general reasons: the project team lacks the knowledge to conduct a software project successfully, or the project team lacks the resolve to conduct a project effectively.

Testing by itself does not improve software quality. Test results are an indicator of quality, but in and of themselves, they don't improve it. Trying to improve software quality by increasing the amount of testing is like trying to lose weight by weighing yourself more often. What you eat before you step onto the scale determines how much you will weigh, and the software development techniques you use determine how many errors testing will find. If you want to lose weight, don't buy a new scale; change your diet. If you want to improve your software, don't test more; develop better.

It's hard enough to find an error in your code when you're looking for it; it's even harder when you've assumed your code is error-free.

It's OK to figure out murder mysteries, but you shouldn't need to figure out code. You should be able to read it.

Trying to apply formal methods to all software projects is just as bad as trying to apply code-and-fix development to all projects.

In software, the chain isn't as strong as its weakest link; it's as weak as all the weak links multiplied together.

The primary purpose of software estimation is not to predict a project's outcome; it is to determine whether a project's targets are realistic enough to allow the project to be controlled to meet them.