7 comments

  • Mike A.Mike A., almost 7 years ago

    tl;dr: Img

    (Btw. this metaphor was pioneered by Spotify)

    5 points
  • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, almost 7 years ago

    I am absolutely all for the Skateboard, Bike, Car philosophy. I see a lot of value in it for projects where there’s questions around what you’re building, why you’re building and the jobs to be done.

    But, I also feel compelled to mention that it isn’t the right approach for all projects. Sometimes you know you need a car. Sometimes you’ve been using cars so long that building a skateboard or a bike would genuinely be a waste of everyone’s time. There can still be smaller questions, and the need for prototypes, test code and a bit of wiggle room, but sometimes the larger portions of the project can be specced immediately.

    5 points
    • Daniel FoscoDaniel Fosco, almost 7 years ago

      Agreed.

      Don't get me wrong Andrew, I love the article, but this metaphor has never been really right and it can point beginners in the wrong direction. 

      You can't really go from San Francisco to LA in a skateboard, so it definitely doesn't fulfill the same role as a car. They might both achieve the same goals at times, but I'd say it's dangerous to assume they always will.

      1 point
    • Art VandelayArt Vandelay, almost 7 years ago

      I'm hoping when he talks about this approach its for new products and not existing ones. I'd imagine trying to do this for existing products (cars) would be a tough feat to get right.

      0 points
    • Dirk HCM van BoxtelDirk HCM van Boxtel, almost 7 years ago

      Ain't no one-size-fits-all.

      1 point
  • Dirk HCM van BoxtelDirk HCM van Boxtel, almost 7 years ago

    Some serious balls to write about a mistake like that. Appreciated.

    5 points
  • Jamie MillJamie Mill, almost 7 years ago

    we’ve spent the past few months documenting our process. We call it Skateboard, Bike, Car. Why does it have this dumb name? Because building a product should be tangible, satisfying, and fun the whole way through.

    I'm curious why you didn't attribute this concept to the original author, which as far as I can tell is Henrik Kniberg? The language you use makes it sound very much like you came up with the idea when analysing your process.

    Otherwise, very interesting article.

    1 point