In his post Why Bother?, Mike A. used an interesting example. He questioned whether or not it was worth the effort to make a bed. He concluded it was. I disagree with one of his reasons, “it’s the right thing to do”. Here are two reasons to make the bed:
- To keep the sheets clean, when you are using the bed or bedroom for activities other than sleeping (such as a child playing on the bed).
- Because you find it sufficiently aesthetically pleasing to be worth the effort of making it.
How does this apply to requirements? We must always ask–what is the benefit of performing an action? Why are we doing this? Answers such as “because we always have” or “it’s the right thing” are insufficient. Why have we always done this? Why is it the right thing?
Controlling scope is one of the most valuable functions we provide and we must make sure there is value in everything we do. If we only use the bedroom for sleeping and don’t care how it looks, it’s not worth the effort to make the bed.
