Comment by grvdrm
18 hours ago
That's the point I am making, and the point of asking "what is the alternative"
Developers aren't alone in adhering to schedules. Many folks in many roles do it. All deal with missed deadlines, success, expectation management, etc. No one operates in magical no-timeline land unless they do not at all answer to anyone or any user. Not the predominant model, right?
So rather than just say "you can blame the PMs" I'd love to hear a realistic-to-business flow idea.
I am not saying I have the answers or a "take". I've both asked for and been asked for estimates and many times told people "I can't estimate that because I don't know what will happen along the way."
So, it's not just PMs. It's the whole system. Is there a real solution or are we pretending there might be? Honest inquiry.
Software release dates are so arbitrary though. We no longer make physical media that needs time to make and ship. Why does software need to be released on February 15th instead of March 7th?
You could ask the same question about the contents of the release. Why does software need to be released with features X, Y, and Z on March 7th when it could be released with features X and Y on February 15th?
It's inevitable that work will slip. That doesn't necessarily mean the release will slip. Sometimes you actually need the thing, but often the work is something you want to include in the release but don't absolutely have to. Then you can decide which tradeoff you prefer, delaying the release or reducing its scope.
This is the direction of my thinking, too.
Earlier discussion focuses on writing software at a slower pace to inject more accuracy and robust thinking/design/code. Conceptually, yes, I get it!
But in numerous practical scenarios, some adherence to a recurring schedule seems like the only way to align software to business outcomes. My thinking is tied more to enterprise products (both external and internal) rather than open-source.
I like an active dialog with engineers. (I'm neither SWE nor PM). Let's talk together about estimates. What's possible and not possible. Where do you feel most uncertain, most certain. What dependencies/externalities do you expect to cause problems.
Those conversations help me (business/analytics-side) do things like adjust my own deadlines, schedules. Communicate with c-suite to realign on what's possible and not. Adjust time.
1 reply →
> Why does software need to be released on February 15th instead of March 7th?
Because it has to be released at some point, and without picking a point in advance, you can never reach it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law
I disagree with that entirely. Some features just take longer to develop. If that feature is part of the release, then release it when it is finished and not kind of working. If that feature is just not achievable, then PMs have really screwed up their role by putting it in the release in the first place.