Fewer moving parts means fewer broken pieces
When every other start requires a brand new thesis
–David Bazan, Fewer Broken Pieces
Why does this David Bazan song keep running through my head as I work with software development teams on a daily basis? Smaller teams normally translate to fewer problems. And when you have a new mix of team members, you pretty much start over from scratch in terms of chemistry, trust and all that other touchy feely stuff. A new team charter forms, not unlike a new thesis.
Maybe Paul Graham’s essay on Holding a Program in One’s Head plays into this line of thinking. Graham points out that the lone coder can accomplish some amazing results, especially when compared to a large team of software developers. Then again, what about the “wisdom of crowds”
Clearly, I’m confused and tired right now. Anyway, I’m going to catch David Bazan in concert tomorrow night. I haven’t been to a concert in probably two years. I’m hoping this concert restores my faith in the concert going crowds these days. I stopped going to concerts mainly because far too many people seemed to be more interested in chatting (screaming, really) with their friends than taking in the music. It makes for a wonderful experience – not.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=CXrdOHgPYOQ[/youtube]