JOEL ON SOFTWARE: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity

thirty-fiveIN DEFENSE OFNOT-INVENTED-HERESYNDROME

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2001

Time for a pop quiz.

1. Code Reuse is:
   1. Good
   2. Bad
2. Reinventing the Wheel is:
   1. Good
   2. Bad
3. The Not-Invented-Here Syndrome is:
   1. Good
   2. Bad

Of course, everybody knows. that you should always leverage other people's work. The correct answers are, of course., 1(a) 2(b) 3(b).

Right?

Not so fast, there!

The Not-Invented-Here Syndrome is considered a classic management pathology in which a team refuses to use a technology that they didn't create themselves. People with NIH syndrome are obviously just being petty, refusing to do what's in the best interest of the overall organization because they can't find a way to take credit. (Right?) The Boring Business History Section at your ...