--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In software, we rarely have meaningful…" description: "\"In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even if we do, the only measure of success that matters is whether our solution solves the custom..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg" --- # In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even… ![“In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even if we do, the only measure of success that matters is whether our solution solves the customer's shifting idea of what their problem is.” quote by Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg) > “In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even if we do, the only measure of success that matters is whether our solution solves the customer's shifting idea of what their problem is.” [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Requirements are fluid; success is measured by solving the evolving problem the customer perceives. **In simple terms:** Customer needs change; solve the real issue. Key Takeaway Focus on the underlying problem, not static specs. Themes agility customer focus problem solving Mood analytical pragmatic Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - software development - product management - client consulting Key Concepts Dynamic requirements solution alignment Questions to Reflect On - How do you validate the true problem before building? - What methods keep requirements adaptable? A Different Perspective Customer perception may be misaligned with actual needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computer programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-programming/) [Computer software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-software/) [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matters Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-solution-1333229/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Meaningful Requirements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-requirements-1333226/) [Measure of success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measure-of-success/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Requirements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requirements/) [Requirements Measure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requirements-measure-1333225/) [Shifting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shifting/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Software Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-rarely-1333227/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Solve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solve/) [Solves Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solves-customer-1333228/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [Beauty is more important in computing than anywhere else in technology because software is so complicated. Beauty is the ultimate defense against complexity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gelernter/beauty-is-more-important-in-computing-than-anywhere-else-in/) [David Gelernter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gelernter/) > [We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-should-forget-about-small-efficiencies-say-about-97-of-the-time-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [More than the act of testing, the act of designing tests is one of the best bug preventers known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-beizer/more-than-the-act-of-testing-the-act-of-designing-tests-is-one-of-the/) [Boris Beizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-beizer/) > [You know, IBM was almost knocked out of the box by other types of computer software and manufacturing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-romer/you-know-ibm-was-almost-knocked-out-of-the-box-by-other-types-of/) [Roy Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-romer/) > [It's OK to figure out murder mysteries, but you shouldn't need to figure out code. You should be able to read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/it-s-ok-to-figure-out-murder-mysteries-but-you-shouldn-t-need-to/) [Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/) > [The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/the-most-amazing-achievement-of-the-computer-software-industry-is-its/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Should array indices start at 0 or 1? My compromise of 0.5 was rejected without, I thought, proper consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-kelly-bootle/should-array-indices-start-at-0-or-1-my-compromise-of-0-5-was/) [Stan Kelly-Bootle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-kelly-bootle/) > [“A society where feminine beauty is defined not by the human self on genuine intellectual and sentimental grounds, but by a computer software on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/a-society-where-feminine-beauty-is-defined-not-by-the-human-self-on/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming; feedback is the treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/optimism-is-an-occupational-hazard-of-programming-feedback-is-the/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-meyer/you-can-either-have-software-quality-or-you-can-have-pointer/) [Bertrand Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-meyer/) > [Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/computers-are-good-at-following-instructions-but-not-at-reading-your/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [It's hard enough to find an error in your code when you're looking for it; it's even harder when you've assumed your code is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/it-s-hard-enough-to-find-an-error-in-your-code-when-you-re-looking/) [Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/) > [Considering the current sad state of our computer programs, software development is clearly still a black art, and cannot yet be called an engineering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/considering-the-current-sad-state-of-our-computer-programs-software/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-computer-was-born-to-solve-problems-that-did-not-exist-before/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“He's a well known entrepreneur. His products have changed the world. He created the world's largest personal-computer software company. He's written more than 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-macdermott/he-s-a-well-known-entrepreneur-his-products-have-changed-the-world-he/) [Andrew MacDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-macdermott/) ## More by Jeff Atwood > [If you don't have people that care about usability on your project, your project is doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-care-about-usability-on-your-project/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“Don't be the guy telling everyone what to do. Be the guy asking all the questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/don-t-be-the-guy-telling-everyone-what-to-do-be-the-guy-asking-all/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“Success is rarely determined by the quality of your ideas. But it is frequently determined by the quality of your execution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/success-is-rarely-determined-by-the-quality-of-your-ideas-but-it-is/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [Writing code? That's the easy part. Getting your application in the hands of users, and creating applications that people actually want to use -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/writing-code-that-s-the-easy-part-getting-your-application-in-the/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“Build what you need as you need it, aggressively refactoring as you go along; don't spend a lot of time planning for grandiose, unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/build-what-you-need-as-you-need-it-aggressively-refactoring-as-you-go/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [The whole HTML validation exercise is questionable, but validating as XHTML is flat-out masochism. Only recommended for those that enjoy pain. Or programmers. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/the-whole-html-validation-exercise-is-questionable-but-validating-as/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [Teaching peers is one of the best ways to develop mastery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/teaching-peers-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-develop-mastery/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“most developers don't test at all! They key in a few values at random and click a few buttons. If they don't get any unhandled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/most-developers-don-t-test-at-all-they-key-in-a-few-values-at-random/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [We have to stop optimizing for programmers and start optimizing for users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/we-have-to-stop-optimizing-for-programmers-and-start-optimizing-for/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [You can achieve a shallow local maximum with A/B testing - but you'll never win hearts and minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/you-can-achieve-a-shallow-local-maximum-with-a-b-testing-but-you-ll/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“When given a choice, choose the thing that scares you a little. If it's 100% safe, it is holding you back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/when-given-a-choice-choose-the-thing-that-scares-you-a-little-if-it-s/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) > [“We should always be in pursuit of simplicity, in whatever form it takes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/we-should-always-be-in-pursuit-of-simplicity-in-whatever-form-it-takes/) [Jeff Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) [Explore all 13 Jeff Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even if we do, the only measure of success that matters is whether our solution solves the customer's shifting idea of what their problem is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-requirements-even-if-we-do-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-requirements-even-if-we-do-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/jeff-atwood-35039_computer_in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-re_1720543.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In software, we rarely have meaningful requirements. Even if we do, the only measure of success that matters…” — Jeff Atwood", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeff Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In software, we rarely have meaningful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-requirements-even-if-we-do-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-atwood/in-software-we-rarely-have-meaningful-requirements-even-if-we-do-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```