Managing Software for Growth: Without Fear, Control, and the Manufacturing Mindset

The Newtonian World

Manufacturing is what mathematicians call a linear problem. Linearity means something most people can relate to, even though they might not have thought about it since high school: The whole equals the sum of the parts.

In mathematical terms, weather is a function of temperature, wind direction, time of year, cow methane levels, and a host of other things. If the weather were a linear problem, a simple equation could tell you the forecast:

weather = f(temperature, wind direction, cow methane levels, time of year, …)

In a linear world like this, weather would equal the sum of the parts (that is, of the variables that influence it). Effects are proportional to causes here. If cows start eating beans, the weather changes proportionately. ...