Principle of good enough
Encyclopedia
The principle of good enough (sometimes abbreviated to POGE) is a rule for software and systems design
. It favours quick-and-simple (but potentially extensible) designs over elaborate systems designed by committees. Once the quick-and-simple design is deployed, it can then evolve as needed, driven by user requirements. Ethernet
, the Internet protocol
and the World Wide Web
are good examples of this kind of design.
This kind of design is not appropriate in systems where it is not possible to evolve the system over time, or where the full functionality is required from the start.
Quantitatively, some measure of "good enough" may be assessed by establishing both a metric and a metric cutoff (or tolerance) of one previous iteration of a design and the current one; when the metrics converge to or below the cutoff, then the specification has been satisfied.
Systems design
Systems design is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the application of systems theory to product development...
. It favours quick-and-simple (but potentially extensible) designs over elaborate systems designed by committees. Once the quick-and-simple design is deployed, it can then evolve as needed, driven by user requirements. Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, the Internet protocol
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
and the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
are good examples of this kind of design.
This kind of design is not appropriate in systems where it is not possible to evolve the system over time, or where the full functionality is required from the start.
Quantitatively, some measure of "good enough" may be assessed by establishing both a metric and a metric cutoff (or tolerance) of one previous iteration of a design and the current one; when the metrics converge to or below the cutoff, then the specification has been satisfied.
See also
- 80:20 rule
- KISS principleKISS principleKISS is an acronym for the design principle Keep it simple, Stupid!. Other variations include "keep it simple and stupid", "keep it short and simple", "keep it simple sir", "keep it simple or be stupid" or "keep it simple and straightforward"...
- Minimalism (computing)
- Rule of thumbRule of thumbA rule of thumb is a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination...
- SatisficingSatisficingSatisficing, a portmanteau "combining satisfy with suffice", is a decision-making strategy that attempts to meet criteria for adequacy, rather than to identify an optimal solution...
- Worse is BetterWorse is betterWorse is better, also called the New Jersey style, was conceived by Richard P. Gabriel to describe the dynamics of software acceptance, but it has broader application. The idea is that quality does not necessarily increase with functionality. There is a point where less functionality is a...
External links
- The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine (Wired magazineWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
by Robert Capps August 24, 2009)