[taftster]

I consider all of these "complexities" to be failures on our part. Our primary job as a software developer or technology specialist should be to reduce complexity, not add to it.

So the problem is that the one button is buried under stacks and frameworks multiple layers deep. Is it a failure of management to consider a single button change an easy task when it should, in fact, be an easy task?

And the guy that they fired (possibly for good cause). Did we take the time to train and/or learn the items that were handled by this person? Granted, maybe we didn't have management that prioritized passing that person's work off to the next candidate.

I think software developers are as just as much to blame as management for these types of problems. I am one of them, so I'm pointing at myself here too. There are problems to be addressed going in both directions, from my take.

[nine_zeros]

> So the problem is that the one button is buried under stacks and frameworks multiple layers deep. Is it a failure of management to consider a single button change an easy task when it should, in fact, be an easy task?

This is a great example. Why? Because you called out complexity. Specifically, that an engineering org should try to minimize complexity. And yet, the framework for adding a button is immensely complex. Why? Because management wanted a "complexity" aspect for the button framework project. Without the "complexity" aspect, the engineer on it wouldn't get a promo and management wouldn't get additional headcount for their own promo.

> And the guy that they fired (possibly for good cause)

Likely fired to serve a stack rank. Someone had to fall at the bottom in Q2 2022. Unfortunately their exact context and expertise is required in Q2 2024 and the backfill just doesn't have 5 years with our complex button framework yet.

I am sorry. Devs cannot be blamed for poor management practices such as "complexity" and "stack ranking".