- The Case for "Good Enough" Software Looks Great
- This Argument Is Sensible
- Is It Really Cheaper to Produce Buggy Software?
- Is the "Good Enough" Approach Useful for (M)any Projects?
- "Good Enough" Software Damages Your Reputation in the Marketplace
- So What's the Alternative?
- We Need Talented Developers, Not "Good Enough" Software
We Need Talented Developers, Not "Good Enough" Software
In the end, the real fallacy about "good enough" software is that it encourages an organization to hire the cheapest six-pack of Java programmers it can find (see my earlier InformIT article, "How to Crash and Burn Your Java Project"). After all, more features is what sells a productusers don't really mind about a few bugs, right? Crazy.
Instead, we need to get used to the idea that talented developers in good teams create great software. Yes, I know that people will claim that there aren't enough talented developers to go around, but that's just a self-fulfilling prophesy. I agree that it's practically impossible to find good people on one week's notice, but given a good environment it is possible to nurture talented developers and produce good teams. All that it requires is that organizations take a longer view. By nurturing new developers in long term apprenticeships, organizations can create good teams of talented developers.
Once these teams are in place, organizations will never again have to claim that all they can create is "good enough" software.
NOTE
I cover these and other related topics in my book, Software Craftsmanship: The New Imperative (Addison-Wesley, 2001, ISBN 0-201-73386-2).