Plans, lies, and videotape

The authors pose the question: why are smart, skilled, responsible, experienced software people so often mixed up about commitments? They make a list of reasons for why otherwise capable, well intentioned people appear not to meet their commitments: no commitment in the first place; conditional commitments, with conditions unmet; commitment to work toward a goal, rather than achieve it; different impressions of the true commitment; commitments made under duress; commitment made in error; commitments not worth the effort to fulfill; terms of commitment changed midstream