Seeing tilly's #5 random thought ("...The more people you have, and the longer it is expected to take, the worse your odds are.") reminds me of what often happens when software projects are behind schedule. When a software project is running behind schedule, and people "add manpower" (in the words of Fred Brooks) or "throw bodies at the problem" (my description), it often just makes matters worse. Brooks' law states that "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later". If you're managing a software project that's running behind and are tempted to add resources, remember Brooks' warning: "When schedule slippage is recognized, the natural (and traditional) response is to add manpower. Like dousing a fire with gasoline, this makes matters much worse."

- robsv