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One big problem if not "the problem" in software development is that it's just too easy to forgo responsibility for the code one writes. With all agile sprints

One big problem if not "the problem" in software development is that it's just too easy to forgo responsibility for the code one writes. With all agile sprints and shit, real feedback for one's actions still comes very very late in the life of a project. This means most people will collect their checks with zero liability for a long time and leave the minute they face the slightest accountability for their actions (code, architecture etc). I'm not condoning it but it's a useful parable. Story goes that during World War 2, the engineers responsible for designing armor for Soviet tanks were required by direct Stalin orders to test it themselves in the final stage: they'd be crammed in a tank equipped with the armor they built and the tank would be fired at with live ammunition. This sort of "your life depends upon it" test should be introduced as standard requirement for software engineers, there'd be a lot fewer remaining but at least we'd have some quality :)

JohnFen 3y ago
> With all agile sprints and shit, real feedback for one's actions still comes very very late in the life of a project. This is one of the things I dislike about agile methodologies. A big part of why I choose the jobs that I do is because I'll learn something new in them that I want to learn. Agile methodologies don't leave much room for that sort of analysis and learning. They are very focused on production, and only production.
- nradov 3y ago
  The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) places a major emphasis on learning. https://scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture/ https://scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture... https://scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/ https://scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/ https://scaledagileframework.com/innovation-and-planning-iteration/ https://scaledagileframework.com/innovation-and-planning-ite... Of course some organizations fail to implement the methodology correctly and skip the learning part. But you can't blame the methodology for that.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    > But you can't blame the methodology for that. Well, this comes around to a perennial debate about agile methodologies in general. Yes, an argument can be made that the fault isn't the methodology, but the poor implementation of the methodology. However, the case can also be made that if a methodology is rarely implemented correctly, that's because there's something wrong with the methodology. Most companies (every single company I've worked for, anyway) implement an agile methodology purely to crank up production speed. No other consideration enters into it.
    - couchand 3y ago
      The problem, unfortunately, isn't any particular development methodology, it's the perverse incentives of capitalism.
dustymcp 3y ago
I have worked for quite a few consultancies and feedback is just not there, either the code works or it doesnt, there is no feedback just additional features/bugs to discover.
snovv_crash 3y ago
That's very capital-A Agile. As per the original agile manifesto, getting feedback as soon as possible is the primary goal of agile, and all the rest is just potential ways of making that happen.

JohnFen 3y ago

> With all agile sprints and shit, real feedback for one's actions still comes very very late in the life of a project. This is one of the things I dislike about agile methodologies. A big part of why I choose the jobs that I do is because I'll learn something new in them that I want to learn. Agile methodologies don't leave much room for that sort of analysis and learning. They are very focused on production, and only production.

nradov 3y ago
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) places a major emphasis on learning. https://scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture/ https://scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture... https://scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/ https://scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/ https://scaledagileframework.com/innovation-and-planning-iteration/ https://scaledagileframework.com/innovation-and-planning-ite... Of course some organizations fail to implement the methodology correctly and skip the learning part. But you can't blame the methodology for that.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > But you can't blame the methodology for that. Well, this comes around to a perennial debate about agile methodologies in general. Yes, an argument can be made that the fault isn't the methodology, but the poor implementation of the methodology. However, the case can also be made that if a methodology is rarely implemented correctly, that's because there's something wrong with the methodology. Most companies (every single company I've worked for, anyway) implement an agile methodology purely to crank up production speed. No other consideration enters into it.
  - couchand 3y ago
    The problem, unfortunately, isn't any particular development methodology, it's the perverse incentives of capitalism.

dustymcp 3y ago

I have worked for quite a few consultancies and feedback is just not there, either the code works or it doesnt, there is no feedback just additional features/bugs to discover.

snovv_crash 3y ago

That's very capital-A Agile. As per the original agile manifesto, getting feedback as soon as possible is the primary goal of agile, and all the rest is just potential ways of making that happen.