Development Quote by Scott Meyers
“Lightstone's Convolution Principle: The concurrent development of multiple features operating on intersecting componentry will take longer to complete than the sum of the schedule estimations for each.”
About This Quote
Source Article: C++ Best Practices, Scott Meyers, 2006
When many features overlap in their components, the total time needed exceeds the simple sum of individual estimates due to coordination overhead.
In simple terms: Overlapping work takes more time than adding separate estimates.
Key Takeaway
Plan for extra time when features intersect.
Themes
project management
software development
estimation
risk
collaboration
Mood
cautious
realistic
Type
technical
practical
When to use this quote
- large codebases
- feature integration
- team coordination
- release planning
Key Concepts
dependency management
complexity
schedule risk
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify hidden dependencies?
- What buffers can you add to schedules?
A Different Perspective
Assumes linear addition of effort, ignoring communication and integration costs.
