My favorite idea here is how it's a developer's job to articulate the issues with a client's code base to the clients themselves. Some clients just want the pro

My favorite idea here is how it's a developer's job to articulate the issues with a client's code base to the clients themselves. Some clients just want the problem to go away, but smart ones recognize the importance of a high-level understanding of the state of their code base. If you work for a cheapskate who's just nickel and diming about billable hours, the "Why does this take so long" question is nothing more than the rhetorical whining of a bad client. But in a healthy client-developer relationship, the question is important. It's a less-articulated, unfamiliar version of the following, which any good developer would find amiable: "I, as someone invested in the success of my company, am seeking insight into a part of that success that only you have. I trust that you're not playing Minesweeper on our dime, and yet our current process isn't delivering the returns we expect. As someone who knows better than I do, are my expectations unreasonable and in need of adjustment, or are there investments that can be made to get us there?