Holistic Engineering: Organic Problem Solving for Complex Evolving Systems

"Late projects. Architectures that drift from their original design. Code that mysteriously evolves into something nobody planned. These persistent problems in software development often stem not from technical failures, but from forces we pretend don't exist, reward systems that incentivize the wrong behaviors, organizational structures that ignore domain boundaries, and human dynamics we consider 'too petty' to factor into our technical decisions."

"Holistic engineering is the practice of deliberately factoring these non-technical forces into our technical decisions, designs, and strategies. Just as geological forces leave visible layers in canyon walls, organizational and human forces leave their marks in our codebases. The difference is that we can see the canyon's layers clearly, while the forces shaping our software remain invisible until we learn to look for them."

"Your code will carry the signs of the decisions you have not made. Three recurring patterns emerge across organizations: the shared "kitchen sink" utilities library, the domain "identity crisis", and "Cirque du Soleil" over-engineered codebases. A holistic approach treats projects as organic socio-technical systems, considering both external forces (world events, tech trends, market trends) and internal forces (organization, product, people, engineering)."

Late projects, drifting architectures, and unplanned code evolution often stem from non-technical forces such as incentives, organizational structure, and interpersonal dynamics. Holistic engineering requires deliberately accounting for these forces in technical decisions, designs, and strategies. Organizational and human forces leave discernible patterns in codebases similar to geological layers in canyon walls. Recurring patterns include sprawling shared utilities libraries, domain identity crises, and over-engineered codebases. Effective practice treats projects as organic socio-technical systems and considers external forces (market, technology, world events) alongside internal forces (organization, product, people, engineering). Making implicit dynamics explicit through modeling, mapping, and socialization enables better alignment and design.

Read at InfoQ