Despite the fact that iterative approaches to software development are increasingly used, most of the people paying for IT software developmet have an expectation that we should be able to tell them—before coding starts—"what's it going to do, what's it going to cost, and when's it going to be ready?" This article exlains why that's an unattainable expectation and corrects the misleading "product-lifecycle-model" for estimating.

Models are useful in different settings in different ways. Models can test facts, ideas and understanding, simulate operation, and aid coordination between systems and people. In this column, Becky Winant lists six model patterns she has seen in practice in software development organizations, talking about where each is appropriate, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Including a testing/QA component on a software project necessarily prolongs the schedule, right? Not so, according to Ross Collard. In this, the first of a three-part series, Collard explains how speed and quality assurance don't have to contradict each other. Read his examples of how testing can actually help reduce the time to market.