Murphy’s Law and Why Agility Beats Planning in Software Development

Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

🔍 My wife and I approach this law very differently:

• Her take: Eliminate everything that could go wrong.

• Plan for every eventuality.

• Line up all the ducks. Dot all the I’s. Cross all the T’s.

• My take: Be ready to adapt when things do go wrong.

• Accept that the world is too complex to anticipate every risk.

• Focus on being flexible, staying light on my feet, and pivoting when surprises arise.

This mindset of expecting the unexpected is the heart of agility.

💡 Here’s why this is so vital in software development:

• Software is incredibly complex.

• No plan survives first contact with reality.

• The best way to navigate complexity? Deliver frequently, gather data, and adjust quickly.

Agile processes weren’t invented to avoid problems—they exist to help us handle them gracefully.

Planning is important, but agility keeps us moving forward when the unplanned inevitably happens. Let’s embrace the unknown and build better software, one iteration at a time.

What’s your take on Murphy’s Law? Planning or agility—or maybe a mix? 🤔