We move too fast for process

Created: October 27, 2020

An all-too-common objection to implementing development processes like source control or code review is some variation of "we move too fast and can't slow down" or "our deadlines are too tight". There is a lot to unpack from statements like those, but I'll keep this brief and focus on this perceived loss of efficiency that process will impose.

If you were designing your nation's roadways, would you also leave out all the signs, lines, guard rails, speed limits, and traffic signals?

If you did, you might be right, and some people might get where they're trying to go a little bit quicker once in a while. Most will just get completely lost, and many, many others will meet with disastrous consequences - often fatal ones.

A software practice without disciplined structure is like a road system with no rules.