Joel Spolsky

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Competition Drives Innovation

  Competition

  Without active competition, dominant companies stop improving their products, leading to stagnation for users.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20030601  (opens in a new tab)

• Build multiple successful products

  Strategy

  A single software company can serve as an incubator for multiple distinct, high-value tools like bug trackers and project management boards.

  Source News 94, 2005  (opens in a new tab)

• Binary Search for Regressions

  Productivity

  When a product's performance drops, use binary search on version history to isolate the exact day the problem was introduced.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20030128  (opens in a new tab)

• Integrate sales into the product

  Sales

  A software launch should include the infrastructure to sell support and upgrades directly to customers.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20021028  (opens in a new tab)

• Identify internal ideological camps

  Strategy

  Large organizations often have competing internal philosophies that pull the product strategy in different directions.

  Source News 7, 2004  (opens in a new tab)

• Design for social anthropology

  Product

  Product features should be designed with an understanding of how they will influence the social interactions and culture of the user base.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source News 22, 2004  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize Seamless Service Upgrades

  Product

  Implement techniques like draining to allow existing users to finish their sessions on old versions while new traffic hits the update.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source News 103, 2005  (opens in a new tab)

• Design for limited dexterity

  Product

  Software should be designed with the understanding that precise mouse movements are difficult for many users.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20000427  (opens in a new tab)

• Filter out impossible causes

  Productivity

  Focus efficiency by identifying and ignoring areas that logically cannot be the source of a problem.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Good programmers usually overcome this problem. It's a critical skill in debugging - we don't want to waste time investigating areas that could not possibly cause the bug.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Iterate fast but release slow

  Product

  A company can perform frequent internal development iterations while maintaining a stable, longer release schedule for the general public.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source 20020428  (opens in a new tab)

• Preserve recognizable brand elements

  Brand

  Keep mascot or brand elements that users recognize and enjoy even when updating the product.

  Source 20021018  (opens in a new tab)

• Beware of Misaligned Incentives

  Fundraising

  Founders should recognize that venture capitalists often prioritize different outcomes than the long-term health or vision of the founders.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source News 38, 2004  (opens in a new tab)

• Embrace external bug reports

  Product

  A founder should view immediate bug reports from users as a success of the beta process rather than a failure of internal testing.

  Supporting quotes

  • “We've been banging on this dang thing for months. We fixed 329 bugs. Then Brad W. downloads it, plays for ten seconds, and finds another.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Incremental Improvement Over Rewrites

  Strategy

  The most effective way to advance a platform is to build on top of existing standards rather than forcing a complete shift to new formats.

  Source News 11, 2004  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid Harmful Management Features

  Strategy

  Do not build features that allow bad management practices, even if requested, because they can subvert the product's utility and reputation.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The current system, in which we expect FogBUGZ users to have enlightened development processes, makes us miss out on initial sales but it makes our existing customers happier.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Avoid hostile marketing tactics

  Marketing

  Marketing that intentionally ignores customer preferences or uses deceptive scripts creates long-term brand damage that outweighs short-term gains.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20010813  (opens in a new tab)

• Build real-time internal dashboards

  Management

  A founder should build tools to track critical business data like registrations, bug reports, and orders in real time to maintain control.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source 20020419  (opens in a new tab)

• Build multiple useful products

  Product

  A software company can find success by creating a suite of distinct, high-quality tools that solve specific problems.

  Source 20001206  (opens in a new tab)

• Technical Mastery in Leadership

  Leadership

  A leader in a software or technical company must deeply understand the technology to avoid organizational disaster.

  Supporting quotes

  • “technical companies run by non-technical CEOs are a disaster waiting to happen; and he just GETS IT.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Use documentation to force thinking

  Productivity

  The primary value of a spec often lies in the process of writing it, as it requires the team to confront and resolve issues before coding begins.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source 20001015  (opens in a new tab)