Comment on How to ''exit'' software development by saarnok

Parent Post: How to "exit" software development

saarnok · 10/1/2026, 3:34:09 AM · permalink

8 bumps

gaby · 10/1/2026, 6:28:42 PM · permalink

It's great to hear it makes no sense. Let me try clarify...  
  
In any job you have your basic tasks. As you do them many times you develop all kinds of small insights, use a different or extra tool, different resources or materials, change the order of the tasks. You develop a feel for things. Besides the basic tasks there are irregularities or exceptions that happen infrequent or rarely. If you've seen those before they also get easier to deal with.  
  
Some of the tasks require documenting them, some require looking things up. You can make an app that for example just dumps all open tasks into the viewport. One can certainly scroll to the right task click on it, fill out the start date and time, your full name and employee number, the number of other employees on it, more names and numbers. etc  
  
If you've done the job 1000 times you know which task to start with. As an employee in a big company you can ask for that task to be put at the top of the list. You get a discussion about how necessary it is to have it at the top. It probably wont happen. You've wasted everyones time?  
  
If it is your own shop, after opening the task, you could fill out the date and time automatically, as you are using the app it is safe to assume you are the one doing the task and we know your employee number too, that leaves the info about the other employees but you should have some work schedule that already has that information. But wait! We have geolocation too! The app can know when you arrive and send a notification asking you to press start.  
  
In a larger company this would require 1000 hours of discussion where everyone questions your sanity for proposing all those expensive little things we don't really need. The conclusion might be that they don't want to spend time keeping track of individual tasks. In contrast, if done well it takes no time at all and you can chose to track smaller tasks.  
  
The big company might have scheduling software that makes it really hard to import the number of people working on that location on that day. The software might not know the location at all.  
  
If you are going to write everything from scratch you can structure the data so that it wont be a complicated thing to implement.  
  
Examples are bad as they are easily confused for the subject but say you got a job washing cars. The app can tell you which materials to put in the car, have you count how many bottles or brushes are left. It can show you a map where to drive to. Describe what to do on location. (Say, ask for water) Complete the unpacking task. Instruct you what tool to use and how to assemble it with pictures and/or videos. Warn what absolutely not to do.  
  
Then when done you pack everything back in the car, hit "depart" and the itemized invoice is send.   
  
A long story short, the MBA will do everything in excell and do lots of busy work. The programmer can make it so that when the software is finished all work that remains is washing cars. Your head can be filled entirely washing cars. You don't even have to train anyone. All time is accounted for.  
  
Then when you've perfected the software for your proverbial breakfast restaurant you take it to other restaurants and show it to them, live in action. Not some demo. The real thing.

7 bumps

saarnok · 10/1/2026, 9:19:24 PM · permalink

5 bumps

gaby · 10/9/2026, 4:56:58 AM · permalink

3 bumps

saarnok · 10/9/2026, 10:27:10 PM · permalink

1 bump

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