Schedule chicken
Encyclopedia
The concept of "Schedule Chicken" is used in project management
and software development
circles. The condition occurs when two or more areas of a product team claim they can deliver features at an unrealistically early date because each assumes the other teams are stretching the predictions even more than they are. This pretense continually moves forward past one project checkpoint to the next until feature integration
begins or just before the functionality is actually due.
The practice of "Schedule Chicken" often results in contagious schedules slips due to the inner team dependencies and is difficult to identify and resolve, as it is in the best interest of each team not to be the first bearer of bad news. It is also interesting to note, that the psychological drivers underlining the "Schedule Chicken" behavior are related to the Hawk-Dove or Snowdrift
model of conflict used by players in game theory
The origin of the term can be traced to the 1950’s and has been documented in the movie Rebel Without a Cause
. In it, two drivers are racing their hot-rods and are supposed to jump out just before their cars go over the cliff. The first one to jump out of the car is labeled a "chicken
," while the one closest to the edge wins bragging rights.
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
and software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
circles. The condition occurs when two or more areas of a product team claim they can deliver features at an unrealistically early date because each assumes the other teams are stretching the predictions even more than they are. This pretense continually moves forward past one project checkpoint to the next until feature integration
Integration testing
Integration testing is the phase in software testing in which individual software modules are combined and tested as a group. It occurs after unit testing and before validation testing...
begins or just before the functionality is actually due.
The practice of "Schedule Chicken" often results in contagious schedules slips due to the inner team dependencies and is difficult to identify and resolve, as it is in the best interest of each team not to be the first bearer of bad news. It is also interesting to note, that the psychological drivers underlining the "Schedule Chicken" behavior are related to the Hawk-Dove or Snowdrift
Snowdrift
A snowdrift is a deposit of snow sculpted by wind into a mound during a snowstorm. Snowdrifts resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, by wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind is slowed, usually against a stationary object. Snow normally crests and slopes...
model of conflict used by players in game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
The origin of the term can be traced to the 1950’s and has been documented in the movie Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
. In it, two drivers are racing their hot-rods and are supposed to jump out just before their cars go over the cliff. The first one to jump out of the car is labeled a "chicken
Cowardice
Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
," while the one closest to the edge wins bragging rights.
Further reading
- David M. Dikel, David Kane, James R. Wilson (2001). Software Architecture: Organizational Principles and Patterns, University of Michigan, ISBN 9780130290328
- Michael Ficco (2001). What Every Engineer Should Know about Career Management, CRC Press, ISBN 9781420076820
- David M. Dikel, David Kane, James R. Wilson (2002). Software Craftsmanship: The New Imperative, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 9780130290328