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> Goodharts law basically states that false proxies are game-able Exactly (btw. very nice way to put it) > stop wasting time on tracking false proxies Some t
by stoperaticless 2y ago
> Goodharts law basically states that false proxies are game-able
Exactly (btw. very nice way to put it)
> stop wasting time on tracking false proxies
Some times a proxy is much cheaper. (Medical anlogy of limited depth: Instead of doing a surgery to see stuff in person, one might opt to check some ratios in the blood first)
- osigurdson 2y ago>> check some ratios in the blood first This would not count as a false proxy however. The problem in software is, it is very hard to construct meaningful proxy metrics. Most of the time it ends up being tangential to value.
- stoperaticless 2y agoTangential value is still value :) I agree in principle, just want to add a bit of nuance. Lets take famous “lines of code” metric. It would be counterproductive to reward it (as proxy of productivity). But it is a good metric to know. For the same reason why it’s good to know the weight of ships you produce.
- osigurdson 2y ago"Tangential to value", not "tangential value". The value in tracking false proxies like lines of code, accrues to the tracker, not the customer, business or anyone else. The tracker is able to extract value from the business, essentially by tricking it (and themselves) into believing that such metrics are valuable. It isn't a good use of time in my opinion, but probably a low stress / chill occupation if that is your objective.