--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
drafting spec…
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: Software Project type: sociotechnical organism status: unstable version: 0.∞.1 released: "whenever the meeting ends" maintainer: whoever touched it last dependencies: - optimism - at least one spreadsheet - a deadline that was already wrong - someone who has since left the company license: "MIT (Mostly Inherited Technical debt)" tags: - engineering - hubris - collaborative fiction - entropy ---
A structured negotiation between what people want, what is possible, and what the constraints will allow. Spoiler: the constraints win.
project:
optimism_level: dangerously_high # set at kickoff, decays weekly
test_coverage: aspirational # see also: lies
bus_factor: 1 # default; rarely changed
on_call_rotation: someone_will_handle_it
definition_of_done: contested
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
SCOPE_CREEP_001 | The feature is now three features |
CONTEXT_LOST_404 | The original ticket author cannot be reached |
ESTM_OVERFLOW | Two weeks has been two weeks for six weeks |
DEP_HAUNTING | A deprecated library is still in production |
HANDOFF_CORRUPTION | Knowledge was transferred. It did not arrive. |
Q: When will it be done? A: It is done when someone stops paying for it.
Q: Why is the architecture like this? A: It made sense at the time. The time was very different.
Q: Should we rewrite it? A: You will rewrite it. You will not finish the rewrite. You will maintain both. This is called legacy.
Q: Who owns this? A: Ownership is a spectrum. You own it now.
v0.1.0 : Demo worked. Everyone was excited.v0.4.2 : Scope expanded. Timeline adjusted.v1.0.0 : Shipped. Not what was scoped. Used in production.v1.9.x : Stable. Do not touch. Nobody touches it.v2.0.0-alpha : The rewrite. Currently paused. Described as "ongoing."