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StupidProjectNames

This came up having just opened up a Powerpoint (yes, I know - I don't enjoy it) announcing the launch of a "truly global project"... "for use globally" that has "out of scope" ... "the UK" and "global".

Anyway, the project name is SMART, which fortunately sums up a whole bunch of stupid project name rules (in fact, these can apply to naming services as well) in one go:-

  1. convuluted acronyms
  2. any adjective (recent examples include SMART and GO)
  3. any name entirely in CAPITALS
  4. any name already in use for another project or service in the same company

We now have three SMARTs - this one is for a support logging tool, the others are an integration service and a CRM tool

Other rules include:-

  1. names ending in a punctuation mark (especially !)
  2. attempts to be deliberately humourous (which I believe is an oxymoron)

For example, Project Wyatt for an ERP implementation.

  1. Phoenix or words related to coming out of or going into a fire

99% of all Phoenix projects live up to their name in my experience.

  1. projects (acronymed or otherwise) that have "front end" as part of their name
  2. fragmented sentences ("Welcome Centre Front End" or WCFE, for example)
    1. words or acronyms (especially for "truly global" projects) which might be offensive in another country (e.g. ITIL).

Anyone like to contribute some other rules or refine the existing ones?

PhilStubbington 2005.10.05

Being somewhat introspective, I can't help but wonder how AYE which convenes in Phoenix fits into this. At least, AYE is not an adjective. For me, AYE's a common word, but then I used to be in the Navy. I imagine it's more unusual for others. No front end here; that's good. The acronym isn't humorous, let alone deliberately so, though the conference is, much to its benefit. "Amplifying Your Effectiveness" can be called a fragmented sentence, though I think the phrase stands pretty well on its own. I even think that creating a full sentence by changing the progressive verb into, say, the imperative would be a step down.

Maybe an important rule would be

  1. an acronym that, once you know its expansion, gives little clue as to what the project's about

MikeMelendez 2005.10.05

"Subcommittee Handling Interim Treatment" -- the commission for sewage planning.

KeithRay 2005.10.03

Perhaps a violation of 6 and suggesting a modification of 10. The offensiveness might also be local. Is it real or imagined, Keith?

I am reminded of one from the past. At the beginning of WWII, the senior U.S. naval officer carried the title "Commander in Chief, United States Fleet", CINCUS in acronym form, which was unfortunately pronounced "sink us". The office became COMINCH, same expansion, shortly after Pearl Harbor. MikeMelendez 2005.10.05

For what it's worth, a number of people find the AYE site by searching for "aye aye". --DaveSmith
Phil, I enjoyed your rule 8, "anything with front end in the title". The metaphor I often use for testing on big projects is that it's our job to walk behind the elephant with a shovel.

I'm not keen on project names with "back end" in the title -- FionaCharles 5-Oct-2005

Beware of any name with MAGIC in the title.

Weinberg's Law (another one) says that the more clever the acronym, the less clever the project. (After all, what are they putting their time into?)

Watch out for "Interim" or similar words, which applies to job titles, too. (acting)

And some names are just plain stupid, and tend to be self-fulfilling, like some of the project names above. My favorite was a project named MORASS. I can't recall what it stood for, but it perfectly represented the project. - JerryWeinberg 2005.10.05

Jerry - I like your rule about the more clever the acronym, but that would eliminate recursive project names which I quite like. GNU - "GNU is Not Unix" for example. Ho, hum - I guess those that choose to live by the rule should also die by the rule<g>

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was an article recently that said that the majority of people who thought they were highly intelligent where actually the most unintelligent. Confirms your rule methinks.

PhilStubbington 2005.10.06

Combining Jerry's and Phil's last notes, we might have an explanation why the FSF, which came up with many great programming tools, did not succeed with a kernel to replace Unix. It took Linus Torvalds, an FSF outsider, to do that with Linux. Linux is pretty ordinary as a name and isn't, I think, an acronym. I note that the FSF was eventually satisfied to embrace Linux, which combined with the GNU tools, they call the Gnu Operating System.

MikeMelendez 2005.10.06

Fiona, in light of your comment I think we can the QuineMcCluskey method to eliminate front and back and just have "end".

Although I didn't think of it at the time, this gives ITIL two strikes - I'm reliably informed it's an offensive term in some Asian cultures.

PhilStubbington 2005.10.06

It's not a project name, but I once worked for a company named Welcome To The Future. Unfortunately, I was only there six months before they went out of business. -- GeorgeDinwiddie 2005.10.26

Updated: Saturday, November 5, 2005