Principles

To overcome some challenges about writing software, one needs to stop thinking in terms of software for a short while.

Software engineering patterns and principles are precious, but can't show us the direction of the coding effort or solve all problems that arise in an enterprise context. To use an analogy: writing software is like driving a powerful car. No matter how fast we go, without a map, we'd waste time and fuel and still won't reach our destination.

The principles underpinning these recommendations are:

• Software engineers solve business problems, code is a means not a goal

• Programming is a social activity, source code is communication

• Attention is the most precious resource in a project

• Simplicity is the best ally in the long run

• The only problem to solve is the one we have today