[Retric]

A significant chunk of software is a dead simple one off and does not need much in the way of design or maintenance. At the other end you have software that risks human lives and or billions in damages.

Picking the right process for where each project fits on that continuum is surprisingly difficult. Cowboy coding can be anything from a horrific idea to the most efficient setup, unfortunately people are rarely flexible enough to know the difference.

[christopoulos]

That’s why I always push the message that we choose the right amount of bureaucracy for the task at hand. Simple change / feature? No need to make a lot of documents for that? Fluffy idea that several people needs to work on? We need some mocks, diagrams and take requirements from client.

I think that’s a healthy way of doing it, but sadly many almost have to be pushed to do it, even with bigger things.