_In most things it’s how you start and how you finish that seem to matter most. What I’ve come to realize is that in software development it’s all about the middle.
The middle is about morale, motivation, and momentum. It’s easy to get excited when you first start something, and even easier to get excited when you’re about to launch something, but if you can’t maintain that excitement during the doldrums, then you’re in deep trouble.
Morale, motivation, and momentum are the most important software development tools you have — more important than software, more important than hardware._
It’s all about the middle: M & M & M - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals)