Actually, while you're right that the same effect occurs in business, the heart of the problem is a bit different.
The problem with duplication in code is *not* wasted effort. People often think this (in particular, managers often think this), but that's actually a minor problem. The *big* problem is that, when you have three bits of code trying to say the same thing, they often get out of synch with each other. *That* can cause all sorts of havoc, and often does.
So the better business cognate to what I'm saying here is when you have the process distributed in such a way that three different people essentially have the authority to make the same decision. If they all consistently come to the same conclusion, that works okay -- but as soon as they disagree (and they will), chaos ensues.
In other words, while it's true that "Don't do double work" overlaps a bit with what I'm saying, "Don't mix up the decision-making authority" is closer to the heart of it...
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Re: Programming & Business
Date: 2011-11-04 08:26 pm (UTC)The problem with duplication in code is *not* wasted effort. People often think this (in particular, managers often think this), but that's actually a minor problem. The *big* problem is that, when you have three bits of code trying to say the same thing, they often get out of synch with each other. *That* can cause all sorts of havoc, and often does.
So the better business cognate to what I'm saying here is when you have the process distributed in such a way that three different people essentially have the authority to make the same decision. If they all consistently come to the same conclusion, that works okay -- but as soon as they disagree (and they will), chaos ensues.
In other words, while it's true that "Don't do double work" overlaps a bit with what I'm saying, "Don't mix up the decision-making authority" is closer to the heart of it...