CargoCultSoftwareEngineering

Last edit February 9, 2009
If this SteveMcConnell article does not help your PointyHairedBoss "get it", nothing will:

I never really 'got' the term CargoCult until I read this. SteveMcConnell denies the distinction between ProcessOriented development and CommitmentOriented development by reframing it as a competence vs. incompetence issue.

Without decent science and metrics, it's all Cargo Cult: one big ArgumentFromAuthority. Software Engineering suffers massive DisciplineEnvy. The quantity of documents and meetings is indeed a (semi) objective metric. However, it suffers from SovietShoeFactoryPrinciple in that it's one metric among many that need measuring. --top

Also called MovieSetXp, or using a PotemkinProcess.
See CargoCult, CargoCultProgramming
CategoryCodingConventions