Chapter 4. Values

Paul, the master gardener, has an intuitive sense of what needs to be done next. He knows in his bones what matters and what doesn't. I might think perfectly straight rows are really important. I put a lot of effort into making my rows straight. Along comes Paul and says, “Why are you working so hard at making the rows straight? What you need is more compost.” The difference between what I think is valuable and what is really valuable creates waste.

Everyone who touches software development has a sense of what matters. One person might think what really matters is carefully thinking through all conceivable design decisions before implementing. Another might think what really matters is not having any restrictions on his own personal freedom.