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Blog Post: Complexity #12

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@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ An antonym of complexity is [simplicity](https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/comple
* Composition: Software should be composed of interchangeable modules. The boundaries between modules must be well-defined. Chess software should have 2 players, but those players do not need to be humans on a computer. By keeping the player module separate, it can be swapped for an AI player module. This enables better testing, and more interesting games. * Composition: Software should be composed of interchangeable modules. The boundaries between modules must be well-defined. Chess software should have 2 players, but those players do not need to be humans on a computer. By keeping the player module separate, it can be swapped for an AI player module. This enables better testing, and more interesting games.
These principles are not easy to incorporate into an engineering process. There is both a science and art aspect of designing and building something in a simple manner. Once a system becomes simple, the benefits are exponential. One important benefit for teams to think about is number of engineers who can work on a project. If a system becomes an interconnected mess, usually only 1 or 2 people can work on it simultaneously. If a system is well designed, especially using modularity, the number of engineers who can work on it simultaneously is practically unlimited, because each module is independent. These principles are not easy to incorporate into an engineering process. There is both a science and an art aspect to designing and building something simply. Once a system becomes simple, the benefits become evident quickly. One important benefit for teams to think about is the number of engineers who can work on a project. If a system becomes a convoluted mess, usually only 1 or 2 people can work on it simultaneously. A system designed well, especially using modularity, will increase the number of engineers who can work on it simultaneously.
## Software Engineers Manage Complexity ## Software Engineers Manage Complexity
A programmer understands software languages and can program a computer to accomplish tasks. A software engineer will do the same, with the addition of minimizing the program's complexity. In fact the act of minimizing the complexity takes up most of the engineer's time. Many other tasks such as designing, testing, documenting, refactoring, and code reviews are much more time intensive -- and important -- than the actual programming. A programmer understands software languages and can program a computer to accomplish tasks. A software engineer will do the same, with the addition of minimizing the program's complexity. In fact the act of minimizing the complexity takes up most of the engineer's time. Many other tasks such as designing, testing, documenting, refactoring, and code reviews are much more time intensive -- and important -- than the actual programming.