Not exactly news since it was published in 2003, however, this article outlines characteristics of successful and un-successful software projects. An interesting allusion to another paper is: ‘…two attributes that appeared equally for projects that succeeded or failed. These two were: Use of Consultants, and Well Qualified Personnel. Equal numbers of successful and failed projects used consultants, and the same was true for well-qualified personnel. It is perhaps disappointing that these two attributes did not portend project success…’ Thanks to Cory for this link.