A phrase as catchy as 'Feature Creep' but for underestimated projects

Question

I'm needing a term or established term to represent a phenomenon our company currently calls a 'Black Hole': a project that takes magnitudes longer than estimated, yet we're already sucked in and HAVE to see it through to completion.

EDIT: Hoping that the best term will be voted up.

Answer 1

"Scope creep" is the phrase I've used.

Answer 2

Screwed.

Answer 3

I believe the term you are looking for is Death March, though I suppose it doesn't really apply if the project is ultimately successful.

Answer 4

I would say "Underscoped".

I am involved with an underscoped project at the moment.

Answer 5

Since hours are often associated with cost, perhaps the term you seek is Cost Overrun?

I also like the concept of Optimism Bias as the reason for under estimating.

Answer 6

I remember 'logic bombs' applied to compressed files. Mainly, create a (back then, several gigs) file containing only one symbol repeated over and over. Zip the file (will become tiny). Send to user -> balloon effect.

Perhaps balloon project? Murphy's Project?

Answer 7

I once interviewed for a position on what had to be the ultimate Death March project. I was at Lockheed Martin at the time. Here's what I discovered at the interview:

• The project was almost entirely staffed by engineers pulled off of the layoff list. Pretty much the dregs of the company.
• They were using castoff equipment from the rest of the company for their software development.
• 15 hours a week of overtime was mandatory, and would be for the foreseeable future.
• They didn't even have cubicles. Everyone worked in one great big open bullpen with wires strung everywhere.
• They had attempted to deliver this project once before, but the customer rejected it and made them try again.
• They were so far over budget and so late that nobody was even bothering to track it anymore.
• They wanted to cancel the project, but their customer was the government of Egypt and they were threatening to stop a large order of F-15s until this project was delivered. (The project had nothing whatsoever to do with F-15s). So now they were getting pressure to finish from the Chairman of Lockheed Martin on down.
• Engineers visiting the customer site in Egypt had come down with nasty staph infections. One had to be medevacted out to Europe.

I swear I practically ran from the room.

Answer 8

Spike may be useful in trying to get these under control but it isn't quite what you want.

Answer 9

"Mind the Gap", read this:

http://blogs.countersoft.com/index.php/2009/11/mind-the-gap