July 23, 2024

Artie Gold on scope is your friend. The less you need to know at any given moment, the better.

45 minutes

Join us on the Mob Mentality Show as we sit down with the insightful Artie Gold to explore the pivotal role of scope and cognitive load in coding. In "Artie Gold on Scope is Your Friend: The Less You Need to Know at Any Given Moment, the Better," we delve into practical strategies for enhancing productivity and code quality through smart scope management.

### Scope and Cognitive Load

Artie Gold sheds light on the false pride developers often take in handling complex code and high cognitive demands. We discuss the advantages of understanding as needed versus knowing everything at once. Are developers truly like acrobats, balancing multiple logic threads simultaneously? Artie highlights the human mind's limitations and the significant benefits of encapsulation in reducing cognitive load.

Key topics include:

- The detrimental effects of high scope and cognitive load on development

- Encapsulation's role in making code easier to read, scan, and modify

- Comparing agile, nimble, and shallow approaches to manage cognitive overload

- Artie's amusing analogy of low-level code instructions to a simple task like buying milk

- Strategies for helping developers adapt to a new paradigm of encapsulated code reading

### Clarity of Value on Stories

We shift our focus to the critical importance of clarity in user stories and the benefits of direct client relationships. Artie discusses the drawbacks of indirect communication and the often humorous complications of serving as the middleman for another middleman.

Discussion points include:

- The irreplaceable value of direct conversations in understanding "the why" behind requests

- Whether good story conversations can be replaced with a template or checklist

- The impact of user feedback on delivered products versus theoretical future products

- The risks of over-refinement, illustrated by the rock versus ruby MVP delivery example

- Challenges in assuming everyone excels at written communication

### Code is Everything. Code is Nothing.

In our final segment, we explore the dual nature of code. Code is vital—it produces value, is easier to change than other components, and serves as a repository of knowledge. Yet, code alone is meaningless without context and purpose.

Artie elaborates on:

- The necessity of keeping code in good shape for ease of future changes

- Why "pretty" code isn't the goal—functional, adaptable code is

- The inherent truthfulness of code as the ultimate source of software reality

**Don't miss this insightful discussion with Artie Gold that can transform your approach to coding, user stories, and the fundamental nature of software development.**

Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/0z2nQHT8Jvs

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By The Mob Mentality Show

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