Ever since we’ve had access to increasingly more comprehensive and easy to comprehend metrics there has been a conflict between the artisan and craftsmanship elements of software development and the data-driven viewpoints.

Things like code quality are seen as being difficult to express in terms of user-affecting metrics. I suspect that is because most of the craft concerns of software development do not affect the overall value of a product. This is not to align myself fully with those driven by metrics.

There are lots of situations where two approaches result in the same metrics outcome. It is tempting to give in to the utilitarian argument that in this case what you should do is simply choose the lowest cost option.

That is too reductionist though and while it may lead to an optimised margin-generating product it feels to me that it is just as likely to create a spiral of compromise that jeopardises the ability to make further improvements.

It is here at the point where metrics are silent that we are put to the test of making good decisions. Our routes forward are neutral from a data point of view but good decisions will unlock better possibilities in the future. It is at this moment that I feel our preferences for things like craft and aesthetic and our understanding of things like cost and consequence matter. Someone able to understand how to achieve beauty and simplicity in software for the same cost as the compromise while achieve very different outcomes.

So we need to be metrics-first so we know we are being honest with ourselves but once we are doing things in a truthful environment, our experience and discretion can make all the difference.