If you enjoyed this thread, you might want to get my extended perspective in the article I just published open.substack.com/pub/themaint...

A well-managed software surface creates the right cognitive load per team member, making changes easier because we better understand what we're changing and its implications.

That's why I argue that managing your software product's surface area is a crucial strategic activity that needs continuous attention.

As software professionals, we juggle tons of info: which files to modify, team coding patterns, business logic, testing approaches, and countless assumptions.

Research shows how our brains struggle to reason effectively when faced with excessive cognitive load. This has important implications for software development.

I meant underestimate, BTW

The non-deterministic aspect of the “pipeline” building is the key differentiator here and a dedicated name for it is not that bad.
Think of a merchant who wants to build and manage their online store and won’t need to go to a web agency for that.

Excessive product surface means higher liability to failure and to slowing down, which will impact your ability to deliver value.

As the new year approaches, let's not just keep doing what we're used to: let's question whether we are really set up for the success of the whole organization.