Joel Spolsky’s article on Inc.com is a must read. Here are five easy steps to kill your technology project:

Mistake No. 1: Start with a mediocre team of developers.
Mistake No. 2: Set weekly milestones.
Mistake No. 3: Negotiate the deadline.
Mistake No. 4: Divide tasks equitably.
Mistake No. 5: Work till midnight.

Read an explanation of each mistake in “How Hard Could It Be?: Five Easy Ways To Fail”. Thanks to Kenneth Bowen for prodding me to read it.