When I was a young engineer, I thought all system problems were merely a matter of applying clever technological solutions. "If we had better technology," I thought, "we'd be able to get this problem solved quickly."

After more than 30 years in the IT and systems world, I now know better. Creating, building, and delivering high quality computer-based systems, on-time and within budget not only requires solid technology, but also a meaningful process, effective project management, comprehensive risk control, and broad-based communication between all constituencies at all levels of the project. In fact, it is the last item in this list that is probably most important (and the most difficult to achieve). Projects fail because communication fails.

System and software engineers and their customers need a consistent mechanism for communicating the purpose of the system, the constraints that must be addressed, the design and implementation strategies that are to be applied, the risks to be managed, and the measures of quality that are relevant and meaningful. But how do we achieve a consistent mechanism for communication and how do we use this to better manage and implement complex systems?

In this book, Tom Gilb provides us with answers that are both elegant and comprehensive. He describes the Planguage method "a practical set of ideas, to help you get better control over all forms of planning, design, engineering, and project management."

To be honest, those of us who are industry veterans have heard this before. Literally dozens of methods (and...