Design, Develop, Create

Friday 30 September 2011

"Designing software is an exercise in managing complexity"

It's hard to disagree with observations and statements that have the ring of truth to them. These two essays say something true about the work of writing software. I take the work of writing software to include everything that contributes to the concrete production of an information system, production of the system as a concrete source code listing and byte coded thing through to configurations, usages, practices, aesthetics, etc.

So taking this broad characterisation of software to be Reeves's subject matter what is he stating and is it important? If we accept what he writes to be part of the truth of managing systems development, how does this understanding inform how I manage and how I work with technology?

REFERENCES
1. Reeves, J. W. (1992) What Is Software Design? C++ Journal. (link)
2. Reeves, J. W. (2005) What Is Software Design: 13 Years Later. C++ Journal. (link)