• magic_lobster_party@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    53
    ·
    6 days ago

    Waterfall only works if the programmer knows what the client needs. Usually it goes like:

    • Client has a need
    • Client describes what they think they need to a salesperson
    • Salesperson describes to the product manager what an amazing deal they just made
    • Product manager panics and tries to quickly specify the product they think sales just sold
    • Developers write the program they think product manager is describing
    • The program doesn’t think. It just does whatever buggy mess the programmer just wrote
    • The client is disappointed, because the program doesn’t solve their needs
    • SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      40
      ·
      edit-2
      6 days ago

      In terms of Mars

      • Client wants a robot to go to Mars
      • Project is budgeted and sold to send a Mars Rover
      • Work starts and after successful test the robot is shown to customer. Customer states he wants to send a Mechwarriors in a drop ship, not a little Pathfinder.
      • Panic, change requests, money being discussed, rockets are being strapped together with duct tape and the rover is bolted on an old Asimo that is being rebuilt into the smallest Mechwarrior ever the day before launch
      • Mech Asimo lands successfully, stumbles and falls on a rock after three steps
      • Customer disappointed
    • azertyfun@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      5 days ago
      • Eventually Company decides “agile will fix things”
      • Developers are told to work agile but the only stakeholder they talk to is the PO, who talks to PM, who talks to Sales, who talks to Customers
      • PM&Sales don’t want to deliver an unfinished/unpolished product so they give a review every sprint, by themselves, based on what they think the customer wants (they are Very Clever)
      • A year or two later the project is delivered and the customer is predictably unhappy.
      • Management says “how could this have happened!” and does it all over again.