When a software project is late, “add another developer” sounds like the fastest answer. Sometimes it is. Often it makes the project later because the new person inherits the same uncertainty plus a communication cost.

Before writing more code, I use a short stabilization phase to turn an ambiguous rescue into a testable piece of work.

1. Name the one release path that matters

“The app needs to work” is not a release path.

A release path is a concrete journey such as: