The Drive for Hypergrowth

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing environment, the economy demands constant advancements. Many companies are hyper-focused on growth, racing against competitors to deliver faster. This relentless pursuit often leaves little room for thoughtful reflection on what we are actually creating.

Take, for instance, the rapid grocery delivery services that have emerged in major European cities, like Gorillas and Getir. Their business strategy heavily relies on aggressive marketing, often operating at a loss in the short term to achieve market dominance. Only after capturing a significant user base do they shift their focus toward profitability.

The License Dilemma

A considerable part of this issue stems from licensing practices. Many organizations hesitate to share their valuable software, limiting opportunities for enhancement or expansion. As a result, developers are frequently compelled to recreate existing solutions from scratch rather than building upon what is already available.

The software development community has prioritized speeding up the coding process to outpace the competition. Methodologies like Agile and CI/CD exemplify this trend, designed to enhance code quality and output. Automation of various processes, including deployment and testing, has become commonplace, with tools like GitHub Copilot even automating code generation.

While I appreciate the efficiency that these tools provide, I question the rationale behind our focus on accelerating development when we often end up duplicating efforts.

The Rush to Market

The first video, "Are You WASTING Your Time Getting Your STEPS In?" discusses the importance of assessing whether our efforts are truly productive.

We continually create new technologies designed to help us achieve faster results. During the Solana annual conference, the emphasis was on rapid growth, with the consensus being that to succeed, one must be first to market. However, in our haste, we often overlook critical questions: Are we building something that already exists? If so, can we enhance or repurpose existing solutions?

The Abundance of Redundant Solutions

The sheer number of JavaScript frameworks developed over the past few years is staggering, with many serving the same purpose. Similarly, numerous ERP and CMS platforms mirror each other in functionality. My experience has shown that CRUD applications dominate the software landscape, often being built from scratch in various organizations.

It baffles me that developers do not utilize straightforward frameworks for creating "data-driven" applications, which are fundamentally simple: they provide a user interface for managing data through Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations. Enhancements can always be added later as needed.

Finding Solutions

Critics may argue that relying on existing tools stifles innovation, which is a valid point. However, starting anew can feel like building a new house instead of renovating the existing one. Even with superior tools at our disposal, the effort may not be justified.

To address this, we should consider slowing down our development pace. Taking the time to think critically and plan effectively can yield better outcomes. Once we have a clear direction, we can act swiftly, employing the best tools to enhance development efficiency.

Conclusion: A Shift in Focus

Before prioritizing speed in development, we need to determine whether we are duplicating existing efforts. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we should strive to improve it by incorporating new features. By adopting best coding practices and efficient workflows, it's possible to reduce development time by as much as 30%. However, leveraging existing solutions can save you up to 100% of your time.

For further reading, check out my article on Test Driven Development (TDD), which delves into how TDD can serve as a valuable tool for developers.

Resources

• GitHub Copilot
• Agile Development
• Solana Breakpoint Conference 2021
• Gorillas Hypergrowth
• The Rapid Rise of Food Delivery (Hoog)

The second video, "How to Design an Effective Workout Plan: Ultimate Guide for Beginners | Joanna Soh," provides insights into creating structured plans, paralleling the need for thoughtful approaches in software development.