Software is real

Software is not ideas. Software is certainly not drawings. Software is real. From the moment you commit the first instruction, it gets real.

Any decision related to the development of a software project affects and is affected by the reality of the actual living system. This applies to technical problems, such as why is the server exception popping out in front the end user. And it applies equally to broader problems, like what is the cost of switching to a new presentation platform. It applies to any decision. All these decision have to take the facts from the software system into account.

Real systems tend have their own rules. You can continue to ignore the system and make decisions based on what is written in the 2-year old documentation, on the architecture board, or simply on what you think the system is like. However, this still will not change the reality of the system. And it will definitely not make the decision any better. At least not in reality.