Computer science Quote by Fred Brooks
““What one programmer can do in one month, two programmers can do in two months.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Mythical Man‑Month, Frederick P. Brooks Jr., 1975
Adding more people to a task often yields diminishing returns due to coordination overhead.
In simple terms: More programmers don’t speed up work linearly.
Plan resources wisely.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- software projects
- startup teams
- deadline pressure
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- When does adding staff help?
- How to mitigate coordination costs?
Assumes tasks are perfectly divisible, which is rarely true.