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It is an issue in all fields. The reason why we have delays in major infrastructure projects and why software projects are notoriously hard to plan both boil do
by 8ytecoder 4y ago
It is an issue in all fields. The reason why we have delays in major infrastructure projects and why software projects are notoriously hard to plan both boil down to unplanned and unexpected changes to requirements. The fact that it’s easy to change software makes it that much more vulnerable to last minute requirement changes. If something is exactly the same we can just reuse existing software and we don’t call that “development”. It simply becomes “buying” instead. And that makes most software development explorative in nature. Now tell me how many explorative real world, non-software projects have a well-adhered to and exact plan.
- wpietri 4y agoYou're exactly right about software being exploratory, but I think the whole notion of fixed, up-front requirements is part of the problem. In the lean analysis, the problem isn't changing requirements, which is a natural consequence of changing circumstances and people learning over time. The problem is building up a large inventory of poorly-tested, underinformed plans and then doing a lot of work based on them without taking advantage of the opportunities to learn. Especially here on HN, we know that startups don't succeed because they come up with a fixed initial plan and then spend years marching to it. Instead we have all set of techniques for releasing early and often so we can see what really works for users. A key competitive advantage for startups is how their fast OODA loops allow them to run rings around larger companies that slowly drift into being very plan-based.