I’ve spend a lot of time thinking about systems and engineering lately. These are some of the more thoughtful quotes I have kept juggled in my head.
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.
-John Gall
Simple rules produce complex behavior.
-Andrew Hunt
Complex rules produce stupid behavior.
Rather than thinking in product categories and market segments, ask what is the job the customer is hiring this product to do?
-Clayton Christensen
When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
-Goodhart’s Law
Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often vague, than an exact answer to the wrong question, which can always be made precise.
-John Turkey