In Praise of the Desert

Sometimes getting anything accomplished at all is a win

Today

Beth Andres-Beck

& I introduced a new metaphor for software development—the desert & the forest. Our talk is called “We Know How To Write Good Software”. It would be tempting to ask, “So why don’t we?” Instead, we focus on what it feels like to develop “in the forest” & how to plant the very first seeds if you’re “in the desert”.

Before going too far with our exploration of development in the forest, though, I want to be clear that I admire those developing in the desert. Despite being critically short of every imaginable resource:

• Time

• Skills

• Learning

• Purpose

• Clarity

• Relationships

• Reflection

• Improvement

• Alignment

Despite all this hunger & thirst teams manage to deliver enough software that’s good enough to be insanely profitable. Well done, y’all!

It’s just that I’m interested in thriving skills, not surviving skills. So when you’re ready to plant your first tuft of grass with your first buddy, let’s talk.