Why are there so many self-help articles being written? Where's the assistance for those who want to see their software development project fail miserably -- go way over budget, cause endless frustration for all involved, and end up with a partially functional end product that no one wants to use? Read on!

You don't have to wait long to head a project into hopeful nothingness, you can start before it even begins! Here's the secret: don't design your software before you take it out to bid. Take your list of requirements to multiple companies and let them bid on their own insular view of the product, and watch in pleasure as you get bids that compare apples to rutabagas ... and who doesn't like a rutabaga?!! (quietly raises hand...) Even good, solid, experienced development agencies are going to naturally see through the lens of their experiences and competenencies. It's not highly likely that you are going to get bids from multiple agencies that truly understand your problem, the end user, and have a flair for innovation that can bring all of that together into a cohesive product. Most likely, someone will see an apple, someone a rutabaga, and another a bushel of wheat. And they'll bid accordingly.

Whatever you do, don't hire a company like Fusion Software Design to assimilate all the pieces into a functional design for your product. This has been known to level the playing field for bids, lead to more accurate estimates, and (gasp!) end up with better products in the end. Those of you seeking to fail your project, run away, and fast!