Chesterton's Gate: Always Ask Why

“That's the way we've always done things”, is a phrase commonly uttered over the course of a software development project. But often times, organizations have instituted governance and policy based on yesterday's practices. We continue with these dated policies without ever examining their origin and whether they are necessary or provide any true value today. These policies serve as gates, which often times impede progress. The story of Chesterton's Gate encourages us to ask “Why” something is necessary before we decide if it's beneficial to remove it. In this session, we examine several “gates” across several industries, including software development, and ask “Why” to determine if it's still needed.

In this session, we examine examples (many of them quite humorous) of Chesterton's Gate, including several from our world of software development.

About Kirk Knoernschild

Kirk is software developer with a passion for building great software. He takes a keen interest in design, architecture, application development platforms, agile development, and the IT industry in general, especially as it relates to software development. His recent book, Java Application Architecture was published in 2012, and presents 18 patterns that help you design modular software.

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