Brooks' Law is a principle in software development that states that adding more people to a late project only makes it later. It was named after Fred Brooks, who first described the principle in his book "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering" in 1975.
Brooks' Law is based on the observation that adding more people to a software development project that is already behind schedule will result in decreased productivity due to communication overhead and the time it takes to get new team members up to speed. The law assumes that software development is a complex, knowledge-intensive activity that requires communication, coordination, and collaboration among team members. As a result, adding more people to a project can lead to more communication channels, greater overhead, and more time spent on coordination, which ultimately slows down the project.
According to Brooks, the best way to accelerate a software development project is not to add more people, but to improve the process, remove obstacles, and increase the productivity of existing team members. He suggests that the key to successful software development is to break down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks, and to ensure that each task is well-defined, well-understood, and well-managed.
While Brooks' Law has been challenged and debated over the years, it remains a valuable reminder that adding more people to a project is not always the best solution for accelerating development. The law highlights the importance of effective project management, efficient communication, and careful planning in software development.