The three areas of concern when it comes to maintainable software: the documentation, the code, and the implementation.  First, the documentation.

Successful software gets changed. It also tends to hang around for a very long time. But crafting software that will be easy to maintain is usually not considered very much by the development team.

Every software system that is remotely successful will have to be “maintained.”  Why is that such an expensive proposition?  What can be done about it?

The five degrees of initiative a manager or leader exercises relative to the “boss” and the “system” and that subordinates exercise relative to you.  Also, the rules of monkey management.

Monkey management is a way of thinking about delegation and initiative.  And how roles … and tasks … shift around between leaders and subordinates.

How to tell if you are not hearing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  How to find out what you need to know.

An engineer’s ability to communicate is at least as important as their ability to engineer.  Don’t let yourself be intimidated by jargon-infested blitherings.There are times when you think you are being … BS’d … then there are other times that you know it … go with your gut.

Testing is an important step in assuring the quality of a software product, but it isn’t the only step … and not even the most important step.  Reviews and inspections are more fundamental and important in the production of high quality software.

Phil Crosby - author of “Quality is Free” - said: “Quality is the result of a carefully constructed cultural environment. It has to be the fabric of the organization, not part of the fabric of the organization.”Why do people accept shoddy goods?  Clothing/fabric, for example, are notorious these days for low quality.  And low prices.  Why do better quality products cost more, if quality is, you know, free?

How do you know your project is in trouble?  Does it have a software component?  Yes.  Then it is in trouble.  Is it a software project … well, then it is certainly in trouble.