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A little more “Steve rants about software and process” time here as I contemplate issues of efficiency, distraction, and how faster isn’t always better.
It’s easy to argue that faster is good. The more things we do faster the more we can do! The more we get done. However, let us take a warning from real life that a love of speed breaks down, say, on the highway with some of your less inhibited fellow drivers. Speed burns fuel, leads to accidents, leads to citations, disrupts others, and pisses people off.
Speed, like anything has side effects. And am I going to compare idiot drivers to idiot software that takes “Gotta Go Fast” as a motto? Yes I am.
Previously I had critiqued an emphasis on speed as efficient software also adds more work, so somehow we get slower by going faster. But let’s take a look at how speed in our software, our culture, our business process, backfires.
First and foremost I’d note that speed can be wasteful. You have the latest software, the latest graphic card, the latest AI. Great, how much did that cost? How much does it cost to power? How much effort do people have to put in to keep up? Having the latest cool technical stuff or business process might be fast, but is it worth the cost? Assuming speed always pays off is not a great idea.
Secondly, when it comes to that fast software or new workflow, going faster also may mean it’s harder to check on what you’re doing. Sure, you streamlined that billing process, now how about those lawsuits that are coming in because something got missed. Sometimes slow is there to make sure you don’t screw up – and if you’ve been in IT any length of time you know.
Third, so you got that fast new process for disposing of waste or sending out paychecks – until it screws up because it’s so fast. Not only have you done all sorts of financially and ethically dumb things, now you’re getting investigated, regulated, etc. Admittedly, I wish we saw more of this in the world, but still there’s some impact on companies, business, and people. For now.
(Working in medicine and medical tech, which is rightfully regulated and contains people very serious about doing things right, I want more regulation and policy like that.)
Fourth, speed can be disruptive, and not in the fun Silicon Valley disruptor way. Actually, forget that “disruption” thing period because we’ve had a lot disrupted and it turned out to be awful. Going faster does mean you break things, distract people, derail processes, and so on and that has an impact. The love of disruption misses that maybe some things shouldn’t be disrupted and we miss that as speed, as disruption is a virtue above the results.
Fifth and finally, past a point, speed can just piss people off just like that driver racing by you at 95 MPH in a school zone. People need time to process information, input, signals, forms, and what have you. Someone racing around doing things fast even if good can still derail human interaction. Sometimes the point is to talk to people, take time, and be considerate of what happens to them.
(I’ve used this as a Project Manager, where just a checklist and a half hour meeting gets far more done than any kind of software process.)
So no, I’m not a fan of speed for speed’s sake. It has it’s time and it’s place. I’d love to figure out Faster Than Light travel, for instance. But let’s not assume it’s the best thing ever. It can often create more problems than it solves if it solves any problem.
Steven Savage