Brooks’s Law

A major project is behind schedule.

The obvious solution seems to be adding more people.

But now the original team must stop working to explain the project, divide responsibilities, answer questions, share files, and bring everyone up to speed.

The project becomes even later.

That is Brooks’s Law:

Adding people to a late project can make it later.

Additional help can eventually increase capacity, but new people initially create communication and onboarding work.

The closer the deadline, the less time there may be to recover that investment.

Before adding more people, find out what is actually slowing the work.

Sometimes a project needs more hands.

Sometimes it needs fewer obstacles.