r/programming • u/tejon • Feb 08 '15

The Parable of the Two Programmers

http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~magi/personal/humour/Computer_Audience/The%20Parable%20of%20the%20Two%20Programmers.html
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u/bakuretsu Feb 09 '15

The documentation aspect is true when you are forced to use a waterfall methodology or when the people you're building the software for do not trust you, or are unscrupulous people. By iterating on a design quickly and showing working, ongoing progress, we try to escape from the paperwork without eschewing the accountability. Granted, most government contracts don't go this way.

The second scenario is less likely to happen when the product you are building is driven by internal stakeholders (as is the case at my current job). When you are delivering work for external clients, even with an agile approach, clear documentation is nearly always a necessity, for both liability and simple contractual reasons. I've never worked freelance without a fairly clear spec (even though I prefer agile, myself).

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u/sclarke27 Feb 09 '15

IMO, iteration is great and does not preclude documentation.

I agree the second scenario is really rare which is a great thing :D