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Kicking the Complexity Habit Dan North @tastapod

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Kicking the Complexity Habit Dan North @tastapod

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Kicking Complexity Dan North @tastapod

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Complexity @tastapod

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@tastapod “It really shouldn’t be this difficult” “Someone really thought about this”

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@tastapod Know your enemy Identifying complexity Reducing complexity Avoiding complexity

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@tastapod Identifying complexity

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@tastapod We do what we know B back pain painkillers triggers relieves physio, exercise, diet, etc. back injury resolves delay B “Shifting the Burden to the Intervenor” causes diminishes “Addiction”

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@tastapod We do what we know B overwhelm workarounds triggers relieves refactoring, restructuring, simplifying, etc. complexity resolves delay B “Shifting the Burden to the Intervenor” causes “Addiction” diminishes

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@tastapod Painkillers are everywhere! Architecture Design Tools Techniques Process Organisation Enterprise mandates Undirected local choices IDEs Build automation TDD too much, too little Conway’s Law

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@tastapod Reducing complexity ✓ Monitor your cognitive load ✓ See what’s really there - and question it ✓ Use consistent idioms and principles ✓ Familiarity is not the same as Simplicity - Use fresh eyes. “What’s the dumbest thing..?”

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@tastapod A tale of two cities…

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@tastapod The real other city

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@tastapod Avoiding complexity ✓ Complexity is the default state - There isn’t a “physics”, just local decisions - It grows one day at a time ✓ Consistency at scale is a daily choice - Agree idioms and guiding principles ✓ Strive for simplicity - Choose tools and techniques that make it easier

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@tastapod Summing up Complexity is the default condition Simplifying is always an option Consistency is the key It really shouldn’t be this difficult

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@tastapod Thanks for listening @tastapod [email protected] http://dannorth.net