48 Patterns of Project Behaviour
Insights from Adrenaline Junkies & Template Zombies by Tom DeMarco et al.
I recently read Adrenaline Junkies & Template Zombies - Understanding Patterns of Project Behaviour. While the title might raise eyebrows, this book offers fascinating insights into how technology organisations (especially in software development) actually work. Throughout my reading, I found myself constantly nodding in recognition—"Wait, I've seen that!" or "Hang on, I've done that!" became my frequent reactions.
Here's what's fascinating - the authors noticed something we all do at work: we're actually pretty good at spotting patterns in how people and projects behave, and we use these insights to navigate our daily work life. But when it comes to putting these patterns into words that could help others? That's where we often get stuck.
This challenge inspired their approach, which they credit to Christopher Alexander's architectural work:
In writing this book, we have been constantly aware of our debt to the architect and philosopher Christopher Alexander and his admirable book A Pattern Language[2]. In this seminal work, Alexander and his coauthors articulated a few hundred patterns about architecture. The book helps us better understand the buildings we occupy—and the ones we’d like to—and it also shows us the way that thoughtfully articulated abstractions can elucidate any subject.
The book breaks down these workplace patterns into 85 bite-sized chapters (none longer than a couple of pages). As I read through them, I found myself wanting to create a sort of 'cheat sheet' of the most striking patterns - something I could quickly reference in my second-brain setup (yeah, that's just a fancy way of saying 'my notes', but hey, it sounds cooler!).
So I've distilled what I think are the 48 most valuable patterns from the book, complete with page numbers for easy reference. Of course, this is just my sampling - there are plenty more gems in there, and you'll probably spot different patterns that resonate with your own experience. I'd definitely recommend picking up the book yourself and seeing what jumps out at you.
Pattern #1: Young Pups and Old Dogs
Blending experienced professionals with new talent enables the natural transfer of domain knowledge while fostering innovative ideas and fresh perspectives. (p.68)
Pattern #2: Film Critics
Team members who focus overly on critique rather than contribution can disrupt team dynamics, and an overemphasis on criticism leads to reduced team effectiveness (p.71)Pattern #3: Natural Authority
Leaders earn respect through expertise not title (p.82)Pattern #4: Nanny
Overly controlling management styles inhibit team autonomy and creativity (p.32)Pattern #5: Poker Night
Social events foster team cohesion (p.111)Pattern #6: The Too-Quiet Office
A silent work environment can signal disengagement (p.84)Pattern #7: One Throat to Choke
Clear responsibility enhances accountability (p.73)Pattern #8: Eye Contact
→ Co-location improves team communication (p.40)Pattern #9: Face Time
Face-to-face interactions crucial for relationships (p.56) Pattern #10: Babel
Lack of common language leads to misunderstandings (p.227)Pattern #11: Talk Then Write
Decisions in conversation need immediate documentation (p.124)Pattern #12: Silence Gives Consent
Inaction implies agreement (p.88)Pattern #13: Straw Man
Presenting preliminary ideas encourages constructive feedback and should be encouraged (p.90)Pattern #14: Fridge Door
Displaying and sharing work products fosters transparency and trust (p.231)Pattern #15: Miss Manners
An overly polite culture can suppress necessary criticism, obstructing improvements and leading to mediocrity (p.175)Pattern #16: System Development Lemming Cycle
Teams may adhere to standard processes without tailoring them to suit specific project needs, risking inefficiency (p.52)Pattern #17: Template Zombies
Focus on template compliance over content, leading to subpar project outcomes (p.264)Pattern #18: False Quality Gates
Quality checks often focus on form over substance (p.115)Pattern #19: Cider House Rules
Rules set by outsiders may not be relevant to project teams, and bound to be ignored! (p.121)Pattern #20: Data Quality
Poor data quality is often overlooked in favour of software solutions (p.170)Pattern #21: Referred Pain
Organisations frequently tackle symptoms of problems rather than their root causes, resulting in recurring issues that remain unresolved (p.36)Pattern #22: Testing Before Testing
Early validation improves development and reduces waste (p.119)Pattern #23: Happy Clappy Meetings
Meetings can become superficial, lacking critical discussions and serving merely as a platform for displaying false consensus (p.29)Pattern #24: Adrenaline Junkies
Mistaking frantic activity for productivity (p.19)Pattern #25: Endless Huddle
Continuous re-discussion of decisions wastes time and detracts from project progress (p.66)Pattern #26: Project Hoarders
Teams may take on too many projects, diluting focus and effectiveness (p.128)Pattern #27: Undivided Attention
Single project focus improves individual performance, very obvious but seldom practiced (p.176)Pattern #28: Short Pencil
Cost-cutting returns are diminishing, after a certain point it begins to interfere with team's ability to get work done (p.105)Pattern #29: Counterfeit Urgency
Tight deadlines as cost-cutting tactic. the apparently aggressive schedule is acutallly just a funds-limiting mechanism (p.27)Pattern #30: Rattle Yer Dags
High-velocity teams demonstrate urgency and immediate action in decision-making, contrasting with teams that delay action. Technology helps, but this behaviour is predominately driven by team's culture (p.22)Pattern #31 Orphaned Deliverables
Artifacts without clear value waste resources. some teams are prolific in producing documents and artifacts, but not necessarily questioning the need and value. (p.145)Pattern #32: Lewis & Clark
Early exploration clarifies objectives, and reduces waste and risk. Great teams recognise the exploration work as necessary (p.102)Pattern #33: The White Line
Clear boundaries prevent scope creep and ambiguity. Boundaries are drawn by clearly declaring each interface between the target system to be modified and the world immediately outside (p.86)Pattern #34: Dashboards
Effective dashboards highlight key metrics without overwhelming detail (p.62)Pattern #35: Overtime Predictor
Excessive & early overtime is often a sign of underlying project issues and can lead to burnout and decreased productivity (p.109)Pattern #36: Time Removes Cards from Your Hand
Early decisions in a project have lasting impacts, and late changes can complicate outcomes (p.98)Pattern #37: Leakage
Time and budget overruns can occur when effort is misallocated between closely measured tasks and less scrutinised tasks (p.261)Pattern #38: Mañana
Early days of the project are not treated as preciously as those at the end—and that the best way to get going is to get going, not mañana, but today (p.38)Pattern #39: Function over Form
Products may function technically, and architected beautifully, but fail to resonate with users, often due to a lack of attention to user experience and needs. (p.80)Pattern #40: No Bench
Really lean teams risk failure without backup (p.54)Pattern #41: Rhythm
Establishing a work rhythm, increases familiarity with future and enhances team morale & productivity (p.107)Pattern #42: Lease Your Soul
Adapt to new technologies or become obsolete, teams and people who can do that survive in the ever changing technology landscape (p.49)Pattern #43 I Gave You a Chisel, Why Aren't you Michelangelo?
Tools alone don't guarantee productivity without skilled users. Acquisition of new tools is equated with better outcomes without considering ability of people who would use them (p.60)Pattern #44: Hidden Beauty
Quality work goes un-recognised when not visible (p.147)Pattern #45: Management By Mood Ring
Decisions are made based on feelings not logic or data (p.42)Pattern #46: Dead Fish
Projects start with unachievable goals, where the failure is guarantee from day-one (p.25)Pattern #47: True Believer
Overly strict adherence to methodologies and prescriptions, leading to stifled creativity and adaptability (p.44)Pattern #48: Sanctity of Half-Baked Idea
Effective teams allow even seemingly half-formed ideas to be expressed and shared (p.259)[1] Tom Demarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Suzanne Robertson, James Robertson, and Steve McManamin. 2008. Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior. Dorset House Publishing Co., Inc., USA.
[2] C. Alexander et al., A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977).