Promise is Debt paper translated to english
Marc and I finished translating Belofte maakt schuld to English, we proudly present: Promise is Debt. In this case study, based on our own stories, we apply systems thinking to a common destructive behaviour pattern in IT organisations: overpromise when you underdeliver, and then overpromise some more…
So far we had a good response on Belofte maakt schuld, overpromising and underdelivering seems to be even more common than we thought.
Writing papers in two languages is an experiment for me, usually I write in English, and I used to write in Dutch when I was writing articles for Dutch IT magazines. Writing and editing a translation gives me a fresh perspective on the text, and in the meantime I’ve had some more discussions on the topic. In the end, I came to the conclusion that if you really want accurate estimates, and stop overpromising, you have to foster a culture where saying no is ok.
