Making a Case for Sloppy Software Development
Although our white paper, “Proper Software Engineering: An Executive Primer”, takes a strong stand in favour of software development that’s guided by best practices and sound methodologies, we acknowledge that there are two sides to every coin. It’s all a matter of how you perceive value.
Admittedly, we have strong opinions about proper software engineering, which makes it difficult to see the merits of the opposing argument. But after much hand-wringing and soul-searching, we finally came up with 3 ways that your business could conceivably benefit from sloppy software development:
- Bragging rights. In client meetings or at industry events, you can reinforce your company’s maverick image with a few choice words about your off-the-wall programmer: “Our guy is the Jim Morrison of software. He’s a little unstable but when he’s on, he’s great. If we need something fixed—and we usually do (he’s an artist, not a robot)—we send the interns over to his apartment at lunchtime to roust him out of bed. The guy’s a poet!” Now, that’s cool.
- Money in the bank. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates didn’t start out as Masters of the High Tech Universe. Just think, that lone wolf who’s writing software for you in her basement could someday become all-powerful. If that happens, she’ll remember you. And then: Ka-ching! All the crashes could be worth it, when you consider the potential payoff.
- Employees’ spiritual development. Sure, the software might not work as well as you’d hoped. And yes, you lose sleep more often than you’d like to, worrying about it. But consider how these hardships stimulate personal growth. If you acknowledge that true character is only revealed—and developed—through adversity, then buggy software can supply all the pain you need for self-actualization. Caterpillar, you’ll be a butterfly before you know it, thanks to sloppy software development.
If these points resonate with your value system and company culture, then perhaps your problems can’t be solved with software (even kick-ass software like ours).
On the other hand, if you had a violent negative reaction to this line of reasoning, then you’re probably our kind of people and you might want to give “Proper Software Engineering: An Executive Primer” another read through.
Or just drop us a line. We’d love to tell you more about our disciplined approach to software development.