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From: rbowman <bowman@montana.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Joy of this, Joy of that
Date: 26 Nov 2024 18:57:23 GMT
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On Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:17:08 -0000 (UTC), Rich wrote:

> Yep, exactly.  If they can be given instructions that match their "lego
> brick set" they can snap something together.  Ask them to do anything
> that requires creativity or research and understanding, and you get back
> a turd that has had hours of polishing applied.

The holy grail for management is a design methodology that gets adequate 
results from a workforce of varying aptitudes. Particularly for larger 
corporations you'll get a normal distribution, a few very good, a few 
completely useless, and a lot of mediocrity. That's what you have to work 
with.

What I've seen over the years is a company will luck out, get a better 
than average distribution, and achieve success. Whatever they're doing is 
taken as an example of the right way and copied mechanically. Top down 
structured programming, agile, devops, and so forth have their day. 

TI lucked out in the '70s and used something they called 'matrix 
management' that became the new Wunderkind. The '80s brought 'In Search of 
Excellence'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Excellence

Good money was made from book sales and training sessions from independent 
snake oil salesmen preaching the gospel. The company I worked for had one 
of the sessions. Not too many of the 'excellent' corporations are around 
today.

About 10 years ago the company I now work for had a 'pair programming' 
session. That was hilarious. The 'experts' were only familiar with Apple 
machines and other than the one they brought there wasn't an Apple in the 
building. Having been through required attendance things before my team 
carefully stayed to the back of the room where we could slink away and get 
back to business. 

I'm sure the next methodology will wrap itself around AI, spin off 
training companies, and mostly fail to deliver on the promises.