The only thing that really matters in software development.

Something like “The only thing that matters in live is keep breathing?”

Kind of thought bubble, isn’t it? There are lots of things that matter that mostly relate to each other in a way or even are the same at last. For instance, what about
“The only thing that matters in any whatsoever area are the persons involved?”

Yes, people are important.

But from my view, if you don’t understand the Scope-Time-Resources Triangle, your software projects won’t work. You will be overtime, overbudget, burned out but not successful.

Stephan: While your triangle is important it does not matter unless there is someone in charge who enforces it’s consequences. So if you ask me what matters in software development I would answer: A project manager with guts.

french_c: yes, you’re absolutely right. The problem with the triangle is not the triangle but project managers without guts who don’t enforce it’s consequences.

@french_c: does your business allow for some beer? ;-)

Beer, yes, of course. I am planning for a beer or two second week of June. The usual suspects. (I’m on vacation before).

Yeah Beer!

Ah, at last something that interests olli ;-)

I am not so sure. And that is because success in a software project is not really about how well managed the project or if was delivered with sensible constraints.

I can fail badly with my triangle and still deliver a system that works. I can over run. I can cost far more than I intended but when it gets there it blows the competition out of the water. And that is a successful project.

Every now and again some programmer sits down and invents something that blows everything else out of the water, that transforms a whole industry. That developer might have crystalised decades of experience (such as the developers of Writely (now part of google docs)) or had a Eureka moment (maybe the web itself).

I would suggest that it is not so much an iron triangle as a very good rule of thumb that is foolish or brave to ignore.

So back to your title – the only thing that matters is success. trite but true.