Friday, December 21, 2012

Mantras to Live By in the Software Biz

Breakthrough ideas have no superclass.

Excellence is not an add-on.

Mediocrity is built in increments.
 
Even the stupidest do-nothing feature was somebody's "requirement."

Requirements often aren't.


Your goal isn't to meet a set of requirements but to change someone's world for the better.

Excellence isn't the same as sucking less. 

The rearview mirror is not a navigational device.

True progress occurs in quantum leaps, not by interpolation.

Creativity has an aspect of unexpectedness, not just originality.

Incremental build-out is not innovation. 


A product can meet all of a customer's needs and still be a terrible product.

Don't even entertain the idea that you've done something insanely great until large numbers of users have told you so to your face.

Even if you did something insanely great last year, last month, or last week, don't assume you're doing something insanely great right now.

Don't build what customers tell you they want. Build what they don't yet know they need.

Don't let customers design your product. They're not design experts.


Tell Marketing to shut up already. 


If you enjoyed this post, please tell a friend. And come back tomorrow for more mantras. Thanks!