Quickie: Junk
I’ve been round the block often enough to be able to state with high confidence that junk like schemas, models, UML diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, code (PHP. JavaScript, Python, PL/SQL, and others) have next to zero impact on successful development.
Think Different
“Conventional wisdom” is that code (PHP. JavaScript, Python, PL/SQL, and others) is necessary for successful successful *software* development projects. Certainly, you can get a lot done in a business without writing or changing software (in any computer language). But it’s difficult to accomplish automation without some kind of implementation technology.
I appreciate your comments and willingess to interact. I have no time for conventional wisdom.
Yes, they think the artifact is the point and show it off as a trophy. They miss completely the point. The discussions from which the artifact is derived is the important bit (when and if they have happened)! But once they have the first diagram the job is done, the model becomes a trophy to exhibit on the wall, and the discussions stop (while the model becomes obsolete by the day). Why talking about this again? We already did it – the model is there, study it!
Conversations and the relationships built thereby.
In my experience the the ability to build a shared mental model of the domain can help with alignment between folks that matter, but the particular choice of notation and language makes next to zero difference to anything.
I concur. How to build? I’ve never seen anything other than conversation and dialogue have any positive effect. Plus, building a shared frame being a prerequisite of any such (domain) model building. Your experiences?
I think the only way through is dialog and this seems to progress in fits and starts through a cycle of everyone thinking they see things the same way, then realising they don’t and then unblocking progress with very specific, concrete examples the highlight the differences. It seems that these very specific examples lay bare the need for folks to explore their assumptions and in that exploration, progress is made.
Funny that. Seems like you just described “Memeology”. Have you read it yet?