Continuous, Incremental Improvement

From TheCommandLineWiki

Part of The Inner Chapters Unbook.

Originally part of podcast episode number thirty four].

Dedicated audio available from Podiobooks.

Original Notes

• Others have spoken about this at length
  • Pragmatic Programmers
  • XP, flattened cost of change
  • Even Kernighan and Pike, No Broken Windows
• Seems obvious
  • Also seems like their would be valid exceptions
  • This is a pitfall, tantamount to hubris
  • Software complexity will rise on a geometric curve
  • Our first job is keeping that curve as close to linear as possible
  • Continuous, incremental improvement is the most proven, low-risk way to do this
• First example
  • Let's re-write some or all of our software
  • 3 jobs back, decided to do just that
  • Engineering agreed because we always want a blessed opportunity to improve design and implementation
  • Management don't take customers into account
  • Re-write took a lot longer than anyone imagined
  • Marketing used it as an excuse to include all kinds of new features
  • No one could ever admit to the customers that it was either going to be considerably later or with less features than originally promised
  • Company essentially ended up standing still from a competitive standpoint for the better part of six months
• Second example
  • We're going to change the world
  • Last job, to a lesser extent during the bubble
  • Founder did not already have the idea
  • Wanted to disrupt existing telecommunications industry
  • Knew how to do it, better compression, but didn't have a feasible scheme for the technology
  • Became so fixated on the win big scenario, missed any number of real opportunities to start realizing revenue
• Lessons
  • Everything always takes more time and effort than anyone predicts
    • Predictions are inherently faulty
    • Re-writes are worthwhile
    • Take an incremental approach to re-writes, never attempt all at once
    • Pick the best candidate component
      • Highest risk yields highest reward
      • Lowest risk protects other components
      • Demands on situation, risk aversion
    • Better than a whole sale re-write
      • Shorter more predictable delivery, a la XP
      • Learn more early and improve the entire re-writing effort as you go
    • Never, ever lose sight of the bigger picture for one task or project
  • Get the best people, give them the best equipment and put them in the best environment and they will succeed
    • From Spolsky
    • You do not need a moment of greatness fixation to be great
    • Be open to what you already have, can already achieve and capitalize on it
    • Predicting what will succeed is also tricky, diversify!
    • If any startup looks too good to be true, it is
    • Demos may be necessary but they are evil
      • May "innovative" startups end up doing nothing but producing demos
      • Turned down an opportunity after last job because they were in the demo rut
      • At some point, you need to produce results
    • The opportunity is less important than the people and the place

Transcript