coding-is-stupid.Rmd

   1 ---
   2 title: "Coding Is Stupid"
   3 author: "Edward Delaporte V"
   4 ---
   5 # Coding Is Stupid
   6
   7 > "How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love Software Engineering."
   8
   9 This is a concise guide to navigating painful truths to achieve elegant software.
  10
  11 While my career managing software engineers benefitted greatly from them, this book will not attempt to cover topics from [Extreme Programming Explained][2]
  12 or [The Dragon Book (Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools)][3].
  13
  14 [2]: https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/9780134051994
  15 [3]: https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/9780321486813
  16
  17 I have heard that 19 out of 20 software projects fail, by any reasonable success critera.  My own experience suggests that this statistic may honestly be generous.  Software automation updates are frequently buggy, late, and all-together too expensive.
  18
  19 When I first heard the 19/20 statistic, I assumed this meant that any given team, on any given project, faced 95% odds of failure.
  20
  21 But I put to you this awful insight:
  22
  23   - On any given project, 19 out of 20 software teams face around 99.9% odds of failure.
  24   - On any given project, 1 out of 20 software teams face around 99.9% odds of success.
  25
  26 The composition and management *of the team* is by far the leading predictor of software automation success.
  27
  28 If your developer team, in all honesty, delivers consistent reliable bug free solutions before they are needed - then this book may not be for you.
  29
  30 [Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross][1] is pretty great.
  31
  32 [1]: https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/9781401290962
  33
  34 But if your team matches the industry status quo:
  35   If they are stressed, overworked, over budget, and often produce buggy outputs much too late - then by all means, keep reading.
  36
  37
  38 <!--chapter:end:index.Rmd-->
  39
  40 # Who Does This Guy Think He Is?
  41
  42 > And why should you listen to me?
  43
  44 I have been writing software since 1988, and managing software developers since 2011. I am personally capable of producing effective automation in around 40 development environments. The worst, by far, is `Friendship is Magic / FIM++`.
  45
  46 I have presented at professional conferences on wide ranging topics around the creation, maintenance, and sun-setting of automation, connecting the dots between usability, accessibility, cybersecurity, and software development practices.
  47
  48 But ignore all of that. Here's my real credentials:
  49
  50 > My teams consistently deliver correct effective solutions on time.
  51
  52 As a bonus - If you read far enough, you will get my thoughts on how juggling fire applies to managing engineers.
  53
  54 You can learn more about my art and personal interests at [https://edward.delaporte.us][edus]
  55
  56 [edus]: http://edward.delaporte.us
  57
  58 <!--chapter:end:02-who-am-i.Rmd-->
  59
  60 # We Have No Idea How Long This Will Take
  61
  62
  63
  64 <!--chapter:end:03-late.Rmd-->
  65
  66 # Great Softwave Overstays It's Welcome
  67
  68 > "We are building the Legacy Software of tomorrow, today!"
  69
  70
  71
  72 <!--chapter:end:04-overstays.Rmd-->
  73
  74 # Our Best Talent Left
  75
  76 > Our best talent will leave, and the cost to everyone who stays will be in incalculable.
  77
  78
  79
  80 <!--chapter:end:05-talent-drain.Rmd-->
  81