We’re currently in the age of digital transformation. With so many businesses embracing transformation, our experience has been that the most successful ones have an understanding of how software works AND a mindset that allows them to apply this understanding to their specific challenges.

In a recent study on the global process automation market, it was determined that between 2017 and 2019, the number of businesses using automation for mission-critical processes rose from 16% to 50%.

Although many businesses have adopted this new ethos of innovation, there are still many who don’t believe in the benefits of transformative software projects. There are many myths out there that contribute to this lack of trust. In this article we’re going to be busting a few of the bigger software project myths.

#1 Planning Isn’t Necessary

“Those who plan do better than those who do not plan, even though they rarely stick to their plan.” – Winston Churchill

Planning. Is. Everything. You may think that working Agile means doing everything on the fly, well, that’s so far from the truth. Being Agile means working iteratively. What does that mean? It means a project is broken up into increments, worked on, tested, fixed, tested again and then implemented. Whether the plans change or not, it definitely means one needs to plan nonetheless.

Rather than laying the plan out for the project and leaving it be, Agile Development requires regular reviewing of the project and adjusting the action plan accordingly.

Winston Churchill understood that internal and external factors would influence the original plan (and he led Britain during WWII, so the stakes were much higher). He understood that sometimes one would need to move with the changes and adjust the plan accordingly, or risk failure. Software Projects are nowhere near as risky as a World War, but the principle remains the same. Plan ahead or risk failure.

Therefore, myth busted.

#2 We Don’t Need to Test That Change, It was Minor

Testing is an integral part of The Software Development Life Cycle and this process isn’t just a theory, it’s a real-life thing. Whether the change made to a piece of code is minor or major, it’s still a change that could have a major impact on your project. Code is always complex and highly interleaved - the Butterfly Effect is a major consideration when it comes to software.

Additionally, testing properly also means you’ll pick up bugs you didn’t realise even existed, potentially saving you time and money in the end. Ever heard of the saying, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’? Well, testing lives up to that saying.

Myth totally busted.

#3 We Don’t Need to Bring in a Team, *Johnny in IT* Can Do It

There’s nothing worse than a) thinking one person can build a complex piece of software on their own and in the necessary time frame and b) expecting the project to be a success. Building software is a complex type of project and requires the creativity, problem-solving skills and experience of a team of people. Sometimes it means bringing in a team of professionals to tackle the problem.

For example, if your car’s radiator started billowing smoke every time you turned the car on, what would you do? You wouldn’t call your buddy who likes watching Formula 1, you’d call the mechanic, right? If you think your superstar IT person can do it, they probably can. But instead of having them do all the heavy lifting, wouldn’t you rather have them focus on other important strategic tasks and leave the big projects to the pro’s?

It’s also necessary to point out that IT and Software Development are totally different things. Just because *Johnny in IT* can replace your harddrive or connect you to the network, doesn’t mean he can build a business automation solution.

Myth busted and destroyed.

#4 Software Project Management is a linear affair, rather than a cyclical process

Over the years, managing Software Projects has gone from using the traditional, Waterfall Method of project management, to embracing Agile. So we get it, it’s not wrong to think of Software Project Management as linear, it’s just a little outdated and somewhat inefficient.

If you think about it, generally, Software Projects are iterative in nature. They grow and evolve over time. Your business for example isn’t a static entity, it adapts, evolves and grows over time. So does a Software Project. And so does Software Project Management. We like to refer to it as Growth Driven Software.

Myth busted - done and dusted.


We’re in the business of supercharging ISPs with our Business Automation Software, SOLID. We’re also in the business of sharing our knowledge of Software Project Management and helping you to understand its ins and outs.

The bottom line: Software Project Management is a collaborative, agile and iterative process that requires an expert team of creative problem-solvers, to tackle projects. If you're about to embark on a new software project, you'll need strong software project management, effective communication, good feedback loops, testing, technical understanding and customer involvement for a successful outcome. Let me talk you through each of these for this ‘ultimate software project management guide’.