Comment by 9rx
3 days ago
> I can not understate how hard it is to get engineers to read a scope document, ...
Ironically, it is hard because it doesn't consider the user. Scope documents likely seem reasonable for the author living in their own little bubble, dismissing it as something "trivial", but if they actually had to use it like those on the receiving end they would soon realize how horrid and ill-conceived it is. Much like was learned in the original link, once you stop with the bad practices, things become much easier.
For my scope documents I spend hours questioning users and validating each step and asking “why don’t you just…?”, and try and boil that down.
Doesn’t matter if you drive VS Code every day though, because that means You Know Better (tm), and to hell with the discovery process.
I actually wouldn’t have a problem with pulling engineers into those discovery exercises directly, except when I have, they’ve just refused to engage. Come out without asking many questions and seemingly haven’t listened to a thing.
It’s like engineers just think it’s all beneath them, (and I accept I was a bit like that when I was engineering), so forcing them to do the calls isn’t an awful idea.
> I actually wouldn’t have a problem with pulling engineers into those discovery exercises directly, except when I have, they’ve just refused to engage.
I know not everything comes across in a short HN comment, but that truly sounds like a "Why don't you just...?" solution. What does the user of your work actually need?
> It’s like engineers just think it’s all beneath them
Well, are they wrong? You seem to recognize — and I wholeheartedly agree — that when an engineer throws a "I just did..." solution in front a customer and the customer finds it to beneath them to use, it is the engineer who has failed. The customer is completely justified in pushing back on something that isn't right. They shouldn't have to accept slop just because that's what you delivered. But it seems you aren't willing to hold yourself to the same standard?