Nearly all software is created in the context of a project. Projects don't just happen. They must be actively managed. Managing a project involves a wide range of diverse activities. These activities can be shared among team members, but more often they are assigned to one individual: the project manager. While technical staff are busy designing, coding and testing, the project manager is taking care of planning, tracking and controlling the development process.

Most new cars come with a 3 year / 30,000 mile warranty. Most new software programs come with a legal disclaimer disavowing any responsibility for the product. Clearly the software industry has room for improvement when it comes to building quality products.

Automobiles weren't always the shining example of reliability and quality which they are today. When automobiles first started appearing on the roads in the early twentieth century, drivers thought nothing of stopping every few hundred miles to fix a flat tire. As the novelty of driving wore off and competition intensified, automobile manufactures had to improve the quality of their products in order to maintain interest and stay ahead of the competition.

Some of the same forces are at work today in the software industry. The first software systems were amazing in part because of their originality. Users were delighted, or at least content, to receive anything that generally worked. During the 1970's and 1980's software was like a dancing bear-- it's not important how well the bear can dance, it's just amazing that the bear can dance at all.