Time Based Releases
I was just reading the Ubuntu development process documentation. In particular the document on Time Based Releases.
I think they really hit the nail on the head with this one. This quote caught my attention:
The overall quality and punctuality of an Ubuntu release are more important than any single feature, and a high-quality feature is superior to a hastily-added one, even if it arrives in a later release. Free software developers are passionate about their work, and it is easy to get carried away by a particular feature, losing sight of the greater goals of Ubuntu. Pause, breathe, and consider whether it is more important to get it now or to get it right.
I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Feature creep is difficult to avoid. When trying to deliver a release it seems that issues keep getting added to the pile. Eventually, the release has taken three times longer to get out the door than initially planned.
Software development needs to be flexible and respond to changes as they arise, but it seems like setting some hard deadlines can go a long way towards delivering useful software.