Bullshit Asymmetry in Software Development means that is very easy to develop a new system on a green field. You can easily go on putting new features into the code but over time, often faster then slower, you have to put more and more effort to add new features until you reached the culminating point. At the software development culminating point your resources (developers) are exhausted, no new feature can be implemented in acceptable time. Next the development team is wearing out and then I'm appearing.
- Software reconstructing is more expensive then writing the software. The costs are asymmetric. Build a new software is much cheaper then reconstruction/rescuing legacy software.
- But software reconstructing lowers the risk of a complete miss. The improvements are coming at a constant speed. No new teams are needed. Reconstructing software can be realized by the origin team, maybe extended by some external experts.
There is a third way, re-implementation of an existing system. This way combines low risks, like software reconstruction with the low costs of building a new software.
| Write new software | Reconstructing software | Re-implementation | |
| cost | low | high | low |
| risk | high | low | low |
| results | after long time | immediately, slow flow of improvements | after not so long time |
| team | new team needed + one insider | existing team + some external experts | Only some seniors needed |
| new features | are implemented | slow but steady, accelerating | no, but faster after release |
