One of the problems encountered in many efforts is: 

'''WhoIsInCharge?'''  

This is encountered by most of us with regard to our workplace. While there are official structures, procedures, and chains of command, the fact is that often work is done and procedures are followed which are not the official or documented procedures. Often a worker, team, project, receives instructions from managers, supervisors, leaders, and peers that fall outside of the formalized provisions, structures, and contractural responsibilities and is left with the confusion that elicits the pages response "WhoIsInCharge" 

When there is no clear and established leader, goal or plan, the programmer and designer may be left to operate with No plan up front, reiterative, big, just enough, or otherwise. The product and project may be doomed from the start. 

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You are in charge, or should be!  To characterize oneself as the victim of circumstances and forces beyond ones own abilities to mediate or modify is to surrender. While we cannot control or change some of the forces we encounter in living, there are certainly ways in which we may '''change or reduce''' detrimental effects of many influences by selection. If your attitude is affected negatively by a particular engagement or participation, it may be that you can change this by reducing or eliminating the engagement. If you refuse to do so, you will in effect be allowing externals to control you. 

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See also: BuckStopsHere TheCostOfInefficiency FailureOrientedApproach, WhatIsaManager, ChiefArchitect, CryptoCracy