A conference talk arguing that technical excellence practices are under attack in software organizations. Using causal loop diagrams and systems thinking, the speaker models how ignoring bugs and cruft creates reinforcing feedback loops that compound confusion and reduce value delivery over time. The iron triangle's treatment of internal quality as a trade-off is challenged — internal quality cannot be traded without nonlinear consequences. Practices like EventStorming, residuality theory, lightweight documentation, TDD, and observability are framed as ways to build and maintain a 'theory of the program' in the team's heads. The talk also addresses AI coding tools, citing DORA and METR research showing AI amplifies existing team dysfunction rather than compensating for poor practices, making technical excellence even more critical in the AI era.
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