Theory D and Theory P

In his blog post "Which theory fits the evidence", Reg Braithwaite has gone straight to the heart of a software development issue I have struggled with for the past few years: deterministic vs. probabilistic project management. I work for a company where the managers refuse to see the fallacies in their Theory D thinking and have ignored most of my Theory P advice, and the productivity and morale have suffered dearly because of it. Over time, our process has gradually matured away from Theory D misconceptions, but I think the managers still hold dear the dream of deterministic management.