Trim Tabs In Software Development

I have always admired and been inspired by R. Buckminster Fuller, author of the ground-breaking book “Critical Path”. He was the person who created the term “Spaceship Earth” and invented the geodesic dome among many other things. I remember him reflecting once on trim tabs. Trim tabs are used in aviation and shipping. Literally, they are attached to a large control surface which would otherwise be difficult to move.

Bucky once wrote about how he was standing on a dock and saw a large ship going by. He considered the effort it would take to change its direction. Pushing on the bow (front) of the ship was one way but not very efficient. Using the rudder is not as easy as it might appear. With the large surface area of the rudder pushed in the way of the water the effort required and stress on the rudder itself is very great. Just as Bucky was thinking it’s very difficult indeed to change the course of a great ship, the tail (stern) of the ship went by and Bucky noticed what’s called a trim tab on the rudder. A trim tab is like a miniature rudder. When you move it, it creates a low pressure area and allows for turning the rudder itself much more easily. Bucky realized that the trim tab took very little effort to move a great big ship. If one is to make a difference in the world Bucky realized one had to look for the trim tabs in life. That is, those things that required little effort to create a large effect.

We have found the following to be significant trim-tabs in software development:

• Product portfolio management
• Having explicit policies of your workflow
• Managing Work-In-Progress (use link above)
• Acceptance-Test-Driven Development. Article Webinar (requires registration) and the book Lean-Agile ATDD
• Testability and The Define Tests Up-Front chapter from Essential Skills for the Agile Developer

Most of these don't take extra work to do - they just require different habits or ordering of the workflow.