Surviving Object-oriented Projects May 2026

Avoid deep inheritance hierarchies (more than two levels is often "brittle") and prefer composition to keep the system maintainable. 4. Manage the Human Element

A standard system that must succeed but won't ruin the company if delayed.

The survival of a project often hinges on social factors. Research shows that many failed projects are saved only when new "core developers" step in to assume ownership. Surviving Object-Oriented Projects

Before writing a single line of code, identify the nature of your project to set realistic expectations and staffing:

An experimental project designed to identify future implementation hurdles. Avoid deep inheritance hierarchies (more than two levels

The most common cause of OO project failure is the "big bang" release. Surviving projects focus on:

Surviving Object-Oriented Projects: Cockburn, Alistair - Amazon.com The survival of a project often hinges on social factors

A small, elite team tackling a highly difficult, isolated problem.