Introduction (con't)

"Skilled Staff" is the subject of Chapter XII. In this chapter we explore the importance of maintaining a skilled staff throughout the life of the project. Major inputs into this chapter include the 1996 research reports Competent Staff and Hard Working, Focused Staff, The IRS' EFTPS system presented at CHAOS University in 1996 and Ellen Hancock's talk at CHAOS University in 1998. Other input includes Schucker's Secrets to Success talk at the 2001 CHAOS University, and the Keynote presentation that same year from Mike Foley.

Chapter XIII reviews effective tools and how to use them. In this section we explore project management, requirements and quality assurance tools. Major contributions to this chapter include 1999's CHAOS: A Recipe for Success, MCI WorldCom's SHERIFF Project presented at CHAOS University in 2000, Andersen's Project Eagle presented in 1996 and a talk in 1997 by Bank of America's CIO, Phil Schaadt. Other input includes CHAOS 2000's Keynote, Mike Hennell, on inspection and a case study of Mizuho Group's Wire Transfer Project.

Chapter XIV is focused strictly on using consultants. The major input for this chapter is from the 1997 Perils of DePack report.

Chapter XV is on "Performance-Based Contracts" and was split off from chapter XIV. Since major projects are often contracted to consultants, we've made this an important part of our research. Major inputs into this chapter include the research from a Touch of CHAOS and CHAOS University workshops (2000), and a research note tilted "GPRA: Governing by Results "(2000). Other new input is from case studies including the Reynolds Local Server Edition Project, Michigan's Online Scholarships Project and from the 2002 class, the winner for the "worst project." Also included are: Federal Funding Failures: A SACWIS Story and from December 2001, Peter Ludlow's talk on "Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias."

Chapter XVI is an in-depth review of the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model (CMM®). We look at how this process improvement method works and some of the tools and techniques developed through this program.

Chapter XVII is a look at "Agile Methods" of development. Here we also spell out the major features of our Microproject Style, formally called Microproject Methodology. Major inputs include case studies BNA's Phoenix project presented at CHAOS University in 1998, Darkest Day Project and Valaisis Online Project. Also included are the Keynote from 2002, Kent Beck on Extreme Programming, and a short opinion of Scrum and methodologies.

Chapter XVIII is a look at "ROI." Major inputs include Herb Cohen's keynote at CHAOS University 2002, a research note on inspection savings, and a research note titled "Radical CENTS." Case studies included are Worldcom's Wholesales project, a collection of projects from the 2001 Project Leadership Award, and OSA's core educational project.

In Chapter XIX, "CHAOS Conclusion," we summarize the results of our 2002 CHAOS research.
This is version 3.0 of the CHAOS Chronicles. The first version was a collection of individual reports, many of which are listed as inputs for each of the chapters. Some of the reports were simply copied and moved into the chapter with only minor changes, while others were rewritten. Some of the newer reports were written with this collection in mind, while others were adapted. A great deal of this report was written solely for this publication. Version 2.0 was published in 2001 and for the first time appeared in "book form." It contained only a few charts. Version 3 focused on providing many charts for ease of getting to the data, adding more case studies, and making it easier to use in general.

It should also be noted that different Standish advisors wrote many of the reports over the nine years of the CHAOS research. Each author has his or her own style. It was our attempt to even out these styles and provide a continuous word flow to aid the reader and make reading more enjoyable. There are some rough spots, but we hope to smooth out these areas over time.

Since this is version 3.0 of the CHAOS Chronicles you can expect version 4.0 and beyond. As a tourist once asked an old salt, "Have you lived on Cape Cod all your life?" His reply was, "Not yet!" The CHAOS Chronicles is a living document and will continue to be changed and enhanced as long as the CHAOS research lives.

Jim Johnson
Chairman
The Standish Group