[dlcarrier]

I blame software updates. That's when software went from generally working on release to not at all.

Agile management methods set up a non-existent release method called "waterfall" as a straw man, where software isn't released until it works, practically eliminating technical debt. I'm hoping someone fleshes it out into a real management method. I'm not convinced this wasn't the plan in the first place, considering that the author of Cunningham's law, that "The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." was a co-signer of the Agile manifest.

It'll take a lot of work at first, especially considering how industry-wide the technical debt is (see also: https://xkcd.com/2030/), but once done, having release-it-and-forget-it quality software would be a game changer.

[marcosdumay]

> a non-existent release method called "waterfall" as a straw man

The person that invented the name never saw it, but waterfall development is extremely common and the dominant way large companies outsource software development even today.

The only thing that changed now is that now those companies track the implementation of the waterfall requirements in scrum ceremonies. And yes, a few more places actually adopted agile.

[BrenBarn]

> I blame software updates. That's when software went from generally working on release to not at all.

I agree. So much software these days treats users as testers and is essentially a giant test-in-production gaffe.

[jrm4]

Ha. I was tasked to teach (classic) Project Management without being super-familiar.

Then I had to get familiar with the new stuff; waterfall, agile whatever.

They literally are all nothing but hacks that violate the basic points of actual project management. (e.g. Projects have a clear end)

[CuriousSkeptic]

From a PM point of view waterfall and agile can both have clear end dates. The main difference is in how they approach scope and quality to meet that deadline.