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> exploring the whole problem space with the stakeholders and deciding together what the software should do is a central part of the problem of programming I t
by saghm 3y ago
> exploring the whole problem space with the stakeholders and deciding together what the software should do is a central part of the problem of programming
I think the situations that the parent comment is addressing don't really fit the description of "exploring the whole problem space with the stakeholders and deciding together what the software should do"; the programmer is often only looped in _after_ the stakeholders decided the requirements, and if there was any "exploration" done, it was deemed complete before the programmer had a chance to give input. If management actively chooses to work in a way that doesn't facilitate programming being done well, that's not programming being hard; it's just management being bad.
- dasil003 3y agoSure, but this is a degenerate case of bad management. Leaving aside bad management and rigid role definitions aside for the moment, I think it’s fair to say that getting the requirements and tradeoffs right is the hardest part of Product/Biz System engineering. It definitely requires close engagement from technical folks. No corporate environment is perfect, but if that’s not happening at all then it severely hampers your skill development and upward mobility as a programmer, and may be time to look for greener pastures.