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lehserWe're getting a set of steps and decks installed in the back yard, to make it possible to get down the steep hill to the nice bit at the bottom. We've run into an issue, though, that it looks like we need lots more railings than initially planned.
The irony, to a software developer, of finding your spouse saying to a contractor "keep it simple" (with the unspoken "stupid" of "KISS: keep it simple, stupid" echoing in your head), and "do the simplest thing that works", is impressive. (Software development was traditionally thought of as a building project, where requirements have to be nailed down first, resulting in a design that's carved in stone. So you get a plan that's as feature-rich as possible, from the start. Agile software development processes brought in both sayings quoted above, as part of a rebellion against that building-project mindset. Only, it doesn't work there, either....)
(Our contractor was also saying, again, that a project like this requires substantially more flexibility than he would have hoped, and repeatedly expressed gratitude that we're willing to work with him on sacrificing features, simplifying design, and staying flexible. I wonder if being agile-oriented software developers helps.
I'm also amused that I think (think?) we've FINALLY got them taking out a bench we never wanted but the designer put in. This, I suspect, is very much like managing software developers. sigh.)
The irony, to a software developer, of finding your spouse saying to a contractor "keep it simple" (with the unspoken "stupid" of "KISS: keep it simple, stupid" echoing in your head), and "do the simplest thing that works", is impressive. (Software development was traditionally thought of as a building project, where requirements have to be nailed down first, resulting in a design that's carved in stone. So you get a plan that's as feature-rich as possible, from the start. Agile software development processes brought in both sayings quoted above, as part of a rebellion against that building-project mindset. Only, it doesn't work there, either....)
(Our contractor was also saying, again, that a project like this requires substantially more flexibility than he would have hoped, and repeatedly expressed gratitude that we're willing to work with him on sacrificing features, simplifying design, and staying flexible. I wonder if being agile-oriented software developers helps.
I'm also amused that I think (think?) we've FINALLY got them taking out a bench we never wanted but the designer put in. This, I suspect, is very much like managing software developers. sigh.)
