(2013-06-22) Jeffries Artifacts Are Not The Problem

Ron Jeffries: Artifacts Are Not the Problem.

There are abuses of estimates and of backlogs. I’ve ranted about them a few times myself

With rare exceptions, and you’re not likely one of them, people don’t get to positions of power or influence by being negative.

In large part that’s because estimates (estimating), backlogs, and deadlines aren’t really root problems.

Software Projects Have No API

Done conventionally, software projects offer almost no information, and almost no control, to those who are given the responsibility to manage them.

Managers, teams, projects who have learned enough about how to do software can often get to a point where it seems they have no deadline, no estimates, no backlog.

These people have more estimates, more deadlines and at least as much backlog as anyone else. It’s not those things that are the problem, it’s the form of the things and how some people use them.

Second, an organization and team doesn’t just voila! transition to this new and better state of working off the top of a short list of small things and deploying them ASAP.

Giving software projects an API will get them there. That’s about “yes, yes, yes”.

The Nature of Software Development.....