The term Mythical
The term Mythical in the title of this book is a symbolic allusion to human narrative. Why should computer engineers view their scientific, mathematical problems in the lens of mythology? The answer is that the humans who build software are just regular old humans, just like the rest of us. They too get stressed out by management teams that rush projects to completion without understanding the complexities of the task. The idea of mythology helps the reader see the narrative value of a software engineer's daily life.
The man-month
This unique term intends to define projects by a realistic time estimate, and although a manager might see the value of adding men to a job (to increase the speed by adding man-months) there is an inverse relationship to the benefit of adding men, because if the project gets too crowded, the cost of communication might delay a project's completion. This metaphor uses direct and inverse proportions to define real life office dynamics.
Teamwork as a bad thing
Although teamwork is an important skill, and perhaps even a virtue if done excellently, that doesn't mean every project is designed for a committee or team. This engineer notices that some projects are better when one person can do the whole project from start to finish, because adding people can complicate, and it necessitates one engineer reworking their work out loud to make sure the other engineer understands the delicate work he has already done. If he is allowed to carry the project to completion, it will be less delicate, because it should already work, potentially.
Technology as domain of chaos
There is an implied symbolic relationship between computer technology and chaos, and it's dripping with irony, too, because although technology uses the order of mathematics and science to dependably augment human functions, the softwares who write that software are up against the full weight of all they do not know or understand, the full weight of technological potential, and just like a writer with writer's block, a software engineer can become overwhelmed by chaos and unpredictable problems.
The human element
The book invites management to really consider their appreciation for the human element. By understanding the true nature of people, by understanding their emotional relationship to time, by understanding the limitations of the human mind to solve problems, often taking time by necessity, sometimes unpredictably, hopefully managers can correctly navigate the challenges of writing software, while still respecting their engineers.
