We just hired a contractor to help out with my project until we can hire someone permanently. I'm having trouble keeping him focused on the coding needs of the present. He wants to look forward, design for the future, and revisit existing design decisions that are well beyond the scope of the project. I admire the breadth of his thinking, but I find the lack of his faith in YAGNI disturbing.
Any suggestions?
2 comments:
May be find some project violate YAGNI? Like swing or EJB?
I don't think his behaviour entirely reflects a lack of belief in YAGNI.
One of the interesting aspects of applying YAGNI is that there may be things you've done in the past that need revisiting/revising as the result of what you wish to do now with YAGNI.
Maybe he figures some past decisions need revisiting in the context of new requirements. Sure you can label them out of scope and ignore them but maybe they come back to haunt all the more later.
The future stuff is slightly different, maybe he's guarding against getting boxed into a corner or maybe he's trying to over-indulge in flexibility etc.
Finally, revisiting old decisions can also be about someone's learning process. They need to understand a little of past history to contribute in the future - that's just one of those human things......
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