Technology
The Mythical Man-Month Summary & Review: Why Extra People Make Late Work Later
The Mythical Man-Month summary: Brooks’s Law says adding people to a late project makes it later — plus a 7-day plan to…
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Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
"Computer architect · OS/360, conceptual integrity, and Brooks’s Law"
Computer architect and Turing Award winner who managed IBM’s System/360 and OS/360, then wrote The Mythical Man-Month so other teams would not treat people as interchangeable months.
1 book·Software Engineering & Project Management
Books by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
Our in-depth summaries and reviews of his work
Key Ideas & Recurring Themes
Brooks’s Law
Adding people to a late software project makes it later — briefing and new paths cost more than the hands return.
Conceptual integrity
A coherent product comes from few minds. One surgeon cuts; the rest support the cut.
No silver bullet
Tools attack accidental difficulty. They do not 10× the essential work of specifying what the system is.
Notable Quotes
"Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later."— The Mythical Man-Month
"Plan to throw one away; you will, anyhow."— The Mythical Man-Month
Related Authors
Book Author Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
The Mythical Man-Month Summary & Review: Why Extra People Make Late Work Later
The Mythical Man-Month summary: Brooks’s Law says adding people to a late project makes it later — plus a 7-day plan to protect one mind’s design this week.