Here are the 16 questions you can ask to find out whether your current software development project should continue as it is, needs repair, or should be abandoned as hopeless.

The book contains stories and descriptions of the most common causes of software development failure. The final chapter of the book is a set of questions, each of which is answered with an evaluation number representing a level of severity. The resulting sum can be used as a gauge of your project to indicate whether you are running down the road to the yellow brick wall.

As you answer the questions, keep a sum of the scores you get and compare the total against the scale at the bottom of this page. The test result cannot guarentee success, but can detect failure. If the number is too high, oops.

• Question 1
• Question 2
• Question 3
• Question 4
• Question 5
• Question 6
• Question 7
• Question 8
• Question 9
• Question 10
• Question 11
• Question 12
• Question 13
• Question 14
• Question 15
• Question 16

0 to 15. This kind of score indicates that the project is not only stable, it is one of the most stable projects around. Study it closely and learn from the experience. This is a rare moment in your life that may never come again. Treasure these days.

16 to 34. This is the normal range for a project that produces software. This kind of project has a wart here and there, but unless some surprise is headed your way to stop things from happening, this project will succeed.

35 to 49. This project is in the gray area. The project may succeed, but it can just as easily be tipped over into doing things it shouldn’t. On the other hand, it can be tipped in the positive direction and start doing things right. It won’t be easy to make this one work, but it is within shooting range of becoming a success. Expect lots of hard work in the areas that graded high enough to give it all these points. If the hard work doesn’t come at the right time, and in the right places, this project will go over to the dark side.

50 to 84. There are some severe problems that will prevent this project from producing anything but a little laughter and a few interesting memories. It’s possible for this project to produce software, but something is going to have to change before that can happen. Break out the scalpels and shotguns and go to work. The patient can be saved, but not by everyone sitting around and hoping for the best. Radical surgery is called for. A dark figure in a long black robe is standing in the waiting room.

85 and up. The condition is terminal. The only thing you can do with this project is pull the plug on it and use the parts as transplants for a new project. If the planned software is needed somewhere, then use the knowledge you’ve gained from this project to start one that might make it. Don’t waste too much time with CPR on this thing when you could be doing something constructive with your life—like playing solitaire or learning origami. On the other hand, if you plan to stay with this project no matter what, run the test again—and cheat. That way you’ll feel better until everything goes black.