Growing a Garden

A favourite anti-analogy I was reminded of recently which I converted into a little illustration so that I could include it in a talk.

Many people think of software development as a civil engineering discipline, so we have lots of metaphors built (geddit) on construction - building a house or a bridge - and the practitioners - engineers and developers.

I think the analogy is more appropriate to staging a play, where lots of people have to know their lines and need to show up in the right place at the right time, or (as here) we are growing an organic, living system, not bolting together pre-manufactured pieces.