Preferring Throwaway Code Over Design Docs: A More Efficient Software Development Approach
2024-12-15
In software development, the traditional design document and incremental development model isn't always efficient. Author Doug Turnbull proposes a "coding binge" approach: quickly implement a prototype using a temporary PR, get early team feedback, refine the design, and then gradually break it down into deployable PRs. This method encourages rapid iteration, early problem detection, and considers code itself as the best documentation. While design documents still have value in specific situations, the author advocates for "showing, not telling," using code prototypes for rapid validation and iteration to achieve more efficient software development.
Development
code prototype