Project delays are normal, but how you handle the problems sets you apart from normal software development staff. The trick is to start seeing obstacles as an occasion to draw the project team together, to turn accountability into responsibility, and to create new milestones on the path to completion. When one milestone or many milestones slip past and the finish line is rapidly retreating, it is the time to dynamically adapt in order to reach that finish line. Of course, you can always just give up and return to the starting line. Some analysts at Gartner, Meta Group, and others chronicle that this represents over three quarters of all IT projects.
Some analysts report that it's even worse.
You can fall into this trap of receding milestones, or you can adapt and bend to the rigors of software development. For example, amend the project and focus on a reduced set of features. Adapt to dynamic divergence and ignore the fictions of a stalled project plan. While watching milestones recede may be normal in failing software projects, you could salvage many projects with a flexible adaptation. Martin Nemzow is the author of many works including the Ethernet Management Guide, LAN Performance Optimization, Computer Performance Optimization , and Web Video Complete .