If the software is hard to change, we’ve defeated its purpose.
Customers, users, and managers rightly expect that changes are straightforward and proportionate in cost. When change becomes costly, trust and velocity evaporate.
The fix is practical, not mystical. Make change cheap by practicing TDD, continuous refactoring, and simple design. Tests give us safety to refactor. Refactoring keeps the codebase healthy. Simple design prevents unnecessary coupling. Together these habits make systems that bend without breaking and let builders deliver value rapidly and reliably.
Treat adaptability as a core quality attribute, not an afterthought.
Discussions for your team
- Do we agree that it’s important to make change inexpensive, rather than trying to prevent it?
- Do our tests give us confidence to refactor?
- What new habits or processes can put in place to reduce change cost?