In my mind a fitting analogy to building software is like designing and building a machine or a physical tool in mechanical engineering: like a CNC machine, a l

In my mind a fitting analogy to building software is like designing and building a machine or a physical tool in mechanical engineering: like a CNC machine, a laser cutter with an optical system for processing etc. There are no rules in designing a machine except for: These are the requirements. First drafts will be analyzed and iterated on by simulation and prototyping (e.g. for mechanical resonances, thermal deformation) - an inexperienced engineering team will have to do a lot of testing and prototyping and failing, while a team who has some experience in building a machine in a specific domain will know what to look out for and what can be compromised on. There are best practices but I feel they are always domain-specific (e.g. everyone wants to put their precise machine on a big block of mass to isolate it from the environment on a machine in a shop floor, while the best-practice for a similar application working on a plane is totally different).