The Silent Void Thus spake the Master Leader:
"When you have learned to snatch the intent from the public relations annoucement, it will be time for you to leave."
Something mysterious is formed, born in the silent void. waiting alone and unmoving, it is at once still and yet in constant motion. It is the source of all strategies. I do not know its name, so I will call it the Tao of Strategy.
If the Tao is great, then the strategy is great. If the strategy is great, then execution is great. If execution is great, then profits are great. The shareholder is pleased, and there is harmony in the world.
The Tao of Strategy flows far away and returns on the wind of morning.
The Tao gave birth to situational awareness. Situational awareness gave birth to purpose.
The purpose gave birth to Wardley Mapping. Now there are ten thousand maps.
Each map has its purpose, however humble. Each map expresses the Yin and Yang of strategy. Each strategy has its place within the Tao.
But do not use SWOT if you can avoid it.
In the beginning was the Tao. The Tao gave birth to Space and Time.
Therefore Space and Time are the Yin and Yang of programming.
Programmers that do not comprehend the Tao are always running out of time and space for their programs. Programmers that comprehend the Tao always have enough time and space to accomplish their goals.
How could it be otherwise?
The wise leader is told about Tao and follows it. The average leader is told about Tao and searches for it. The foolish leader is told about Tao and laughs at it.
If it were not for laughter, there would be no Tao.
The highest sounds are hardest to hear. Going forward is a way to retreat. Great talent shows itself late in life. Even a perfect program still has bugs.
The Ancient Masters Thus spake the Master Leader: "After three days without mapping, life becomes meaningless."
The leader of old were mysterious and profound. We cannot fathom their thoughts, so all we do is describe their appearance.
Aware, like a fox crossing the water. Alert, like a general on the battlefield. Kind, like a hostess greeting her guests. Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood. Opaque, like black pools in darkened caves. Who can tell the secrets of their hearts and minds? The answer exists only in Tao.
The Grand Master Leader once dreamed that he was a manager for execution. When he awoke, he exclaimed:
"I don't know whether I am a leader dreaming that I am a manager, or a manager dreaming that I am a leader!"
A leader from a very large company went to a strategy conference and then returned to report to his CEO, saying: "What sort of leaders work for other companies? They behaved badly and were unconcerned with appearances. Their hair was long and unkempt and their clothes were wrinkled and old. They crashed our hospitality suite and they made rude noises during my presentation."
The CEO said: "I should have never sent you to the conference. Those leaders live beyond the physical world. They consider life absurd, an accidental coincidence. They come and go without knowing limitations. Without a care, they live only for their strategies. Why should they bother with social conventions?
They are alive within the Tao."
A novice asked the Master: "Here is a leader that never plans, researches or tests his strategies. Yet all who know him consider him one of the best leaders in the world. Why is this?"
The Master replied: "That leader has mastered the Tao. He has gone beyond the need for plan; he does not become angry when the world changes, but accepts the universe without concern. He has gone beyond the need for research; he no longer cares if anyone else has data contradicting his strategy. He has gone beyond the need for testing; each of his strategies are perfect within themselves, serene and elegant, their purpose self-evident. Truly, he has entered the mystery of Tao."
Budgets Thus spake the Master Leader: "When a strategy is being executed, it is too late to change budgets."
There once was a man who went to a trade show. Each day as he entered, the man told the guard at the door:
"I am a great thief, renowned for my feats of shoplifting. Be forewarned, for this trade show shall not escape unplundered."
This speech disturbed the guard greatly, because there were millions of dollars of equipment inside, so he watched the man carefully. But the man merely wandered from booth to booth, humming quietly to himself.
When the man left, the guard took him aside and searched his clothes, but nothing was to be found.
On the next day of the trade show, the man returned and chided the guard, saying: "I escaped with a vast booty yesterday, but today will be even better." So the guard watched him ever more closely, but to no avail.
On the final day of the trade show, the guard could restrain his curiosity no longer. "Sir Thief," he said, "I am so perplexed, I cannot live in peace. Please enlighten me. What is it that you are stealing?"
The man smiled. "I am stealing ideas," he said.
There once was a Master Leader who defined single-action strategy. A novice leader, seeking to imitate him, also began to define single-action strategies. When the novice asked the Master to evaluate his progress, the Master criticized him for defining single-action strategies, saying, "What is appropriate for the Master is not appropriate for the novice. You must understand Tao before transcending plans."
There was once a leader who was attached to the court of the warlord of Wu. The warlord asked the leader: "Which is easier to define: a marketing strategy or a business strategy?"
"A marketing strategy," replied the programmer.
The warlord uttered an exclamation of disbelief. "Surely a marketing strategy is trivial next to the complexity of a business strategy," he said.
"Not so," said the leader, "When designing a marketing strategy, the leader operates as a mediator between people having different ideas: what do they want to buy, why, and what value do they see in the product. By contrast, a business strategy is not limited by outside appearances. When defining a business strategy, the leader seeks the simplest harmony between budgets and ideas. This is why a business strategy is easier to design."
The warlord of Wu nodded and smiled. "That is all good and well, but quality of which is easier to recognise?"
The programmer made no reply.
A manager went to the Master Leader and showed him the financial requirements document for a new strategy. The manager asked the Master: "How long will it take to define this strategy if I assign five researchers to it?"
"It will take one year," said the Master promptly.
"But we need this strategy immediately or even sooner! How long will it take if I assign ten researchers to it?"
The Master Leader frowned. "In that case, it will take two years."
"And what if I assign a hundred researchers to it?"
The Master Leader shrugged. "Then the design will never be completed," he said.
Strategising Thus spake the Master Leader: "A well-defined strategy is its own Heaven; a poorly-defined strategy is its own Hell."
A strategy should be light and agile, its subroutines connected like a string of pearls. The spirit and intent of the strategy should be retained throughout. There should be neither too little nor too much. Neither needless loops nor useless observations; neither lack of structure nor overwhelming rigidity.
A strategy should follow the "Law of Least Astonishment". What is this law? It is simply that the strategy should always bring results that least astonishes shareholders.
A strategy, no matter how complex, should act as a single unit. The strategy should be directed by the logic within rather than by outward consultants.
If the strategy fails in these requirements, it will be in a state of disorder and confusion. The only way to correct this is to redefine the strategy.
A novice asked the Master: "I have a strategy that sometimes works and sometimes not. I have followed the rules of defining strategy, yet I am totally baffled. What is the reason for this?"
The Master replied: "You are confused because you do not understand Tao. Only a fool expects rational behavior from his fellow humans. Why do you expect it from a strategy that humans have constructed? Strategies simulate control; only Tao is perfect.
The rules of strategies are transitory; only Tao is eternal. Therefore, you must contemplate Tao before you receive Enlightenment."
"But how will I know when I have received Enlightenment?" asked the novice.
"Your strategy will work as expected," replied the Master.
The Master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his novices.
"The Tao is embodied in all strategies -- regardless of how insignificant," said the Master.
"Is the Tao in a pre-seed startup strategy?" asked the novice.
"It is," came the reply.
"Is the Tao in a large corporation strategy?" asked the novice.
"It is even in a large corporation strategy," said the Master.
"Is the Tao in the government strategy in our country?" asked the novice.
The Master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over for today," he said.
Prince Wang's leader was defining strategy. His fingers danced upon the whiteboard. The post it notes aligned without confusion, and the strategy ran like a gentle wind.
"Excellent!" the Prince exclaimed. "Your technique is faultless!"
"Technique?" said the leader, turning from his whiteboard, "What I follow is Tao -- beyond all techniques! When I first began to define strategies, I would see before me the whole problem in one mass. After three years, I no longer saw this mass. Instead, I used substrategies. But now I see nothing. My whole being exists in a formless void. My senses are idle. My spirit, free to work without a plan, follows its own instinct. In short, my strategy defines itself. True, sometimes there are difficult problems. I see them coming, I slow down, I watch silently. Then I change a single line post-it note and the difficulties vanish like puffs of idle smoke. I then make a story out of the map. I sit still and let the joy of the work fill my being. I close my eyes for a moment and then log off."
Prince Wang said, "Would that all of my leaders were as wise!"
BOOK 5 Maintenance Thus spake the Master Programmer: "Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained."
5.1 A well-used door needs no oil on its hinges. A swift-flowing stream does not grow stagnant. A deer blends perfectly into the forest colors. Software rots if not used. These are great mysteries. 5.2 A manager asked a programmer how long it would take him to finish the program on which he was working. "I will be finished tomorrow," the programmer promptly replied.
"I think you are being unrealistic," said the manager, "Truthfully, how long will it take?"
The programmer thought for a moment. "I have some features that I wish to add. This will take at least two weeks," he finally said.
"Even that is too much to expect," insisted the manager, "I will be satisfied if you simply tell me when the program is complete."
The programmer agreed to this.
Several years later, the manager retired. On the way to his retirement luncheon, he discovered the programmer asleep at his terminal. He had been programming all night.
5.3 A novice programmer was once assigned to code a simple financial package.
The novice worked furiously for many days, but when his Master reviewed his program, he discovered it contained a screen editor, a set of generalized graphics routines, and an artificial intelligence interface, but not the slightest hint of anything financial.
When the Master asked about this, the novice became indignant. "Don't be so impatient," he said, "I'll put in the financial stuff eventually."
5.4 Does a good farmer neglect a crop he has planted? Does a good teacher overlook even the most humble student? Does a good father allow a single child to starve? Does a good programmer refuse to maintain his code? BOOK 6 Management Thus spake the Master Programmer: "Let the programmers be many and the managers few -- then all will be productive."
6.1 When managers hold endless meetings, the programmers write games. When accountants speak of quarterly profits, the development budget is about to be cut. When senior scientists talk blue sky, the clouds are about to roll in. Truly, this is not the Tao of Programming. When managers make commitments, game programs are ignored. When accountants make long-range plans, harmony and order are about to be restored. When senior scientists address the problems at hand, the problems will soon be solved. Truly, this is the Tao of Programming. 6.2 Why are programmers non-productive? Because their time is wasted in meetings. Why are programmers rebellious? Because the management interferes too much. Why are the programmers resigning one by one? Because they are burnt out. Having worked for poor management, they no longer value their jobs. 6.3 A manager was about to be fired, but a programmer who worked for him wrote a new program that became popular and sold well. As a result, the manager retained his job.
The manager tried to give the programmer a bonus, but the programmer refused it, saying, "I wrote the program because I thought it was an interesting concept, and thus I expect no reward."
The manager upon hearing this remarked, "This programmer, though he holds a position of small esteem, understands well the proper duty of an employee. Let us promote him to the exalted position of management consultant!"
But when told this, the programmer once more refused, saying, "I exist so that I can program. If I were promoted, I would do nothing but waste everyone's time. Can I go now? I have a program that I am working on."
6.4 A manager went to his programmers and told them: "As regards to your work hours: you are going to have to come in at nine in the morning and leave at five in the afternoon." At this, all of them became angry and several resigned on the spot.
So the manager said: "All right, in that case you may set your own working hours, as long as you finish your projects on schedule." The programmers, now satisfied, began to come in at noon and work to the wee hours of the morning.
BOOK 7 Corporate Wisdom Thus spake the Master Programmer: "You can demonstrate a program for a corporate executive, but you can't make him computer literate."
7.1 A novice asked the Master: "In the East, there is a great tree-structure that men call 'Corporate Headquarters'. It is bloated out of shape with vice presidents and accountants. It issues a multitude of memos, each saying 'Go Hence!' or 'Go Hither!' and nobody knows what is meant. Every year new names are put onto the branches, but all to no avail. How can such an unnatural entity exist?"
The Master replied: "You perceive this immense structure and are disturbed that it has no rational purpose. Can you not take amusement from its endless gyrations? Do you not enjoy the untroubled ease of programming beneath its sheltering branches? Why are you bothered by its uselessness?"
7.2 In the East there is a shark which is larger than all other fish. It changes into a bird whose wings are like clouds filling the sky. When this bird moves across the land, it brings a message from Corporate Headquarters. This message it drops into the midst of the programmers, like a seagull making its mark upon the beach. Then the bird mounts on the wind and, with the blue sky at its back, returns home.
The novice programmer stares in wonder at the bird, for he understands it not. The average programmer dreads the coming of the bird, for he fears its message. The Master Programmer continues to work at his terminal, unaware that the bird has come and gone.
7.3 The Magician of the Ivory Tower brought his latest invention for the Master Programmer to examine. The Magician wheeled a large black box into the Master's office while the Master waited in silence.
"This is an integrated, distributed, general-purpose workstation," began the Magician, "ergonomically designed with a proprietary operating system, sixth generation languages, and multiple state of the art user interfaces. It took my assistants several hundred man years to construct. Is it not amazing?"
The Master Programmer raised his eyebrows slightly. "It is indeed amazing," he said.
"Corporate Headquarters has commanded," continued the Magician, "that everyone use this workstation as a platform for new programs. Do you agree to this?"
"Certainly," replied the Master. "I will have it transported to the Data Center immediately!" And the Magician returned to his tower, well pleased.
Several days later, a novice wandered into the office of the Master Programmer and said, "I cannot find the listing for my new program. Do you know where it might be?"
"Yes," replied the Master, "the listings are stacked on the platform in the Data Center."
7.4 The Master Programmer moves from program to program without fear. No change in management can harm him. He will not be fired, even if the project is cancelled. Why is this? He is filled with Tao.
BOOK 8 Hardware and Software Thus spake the Master Programmer: "Without the wind, the grass does not move. Without software hardware is useless."
8.1 A novice asked the Master: "I perceive that one computer company is much larger than all others. It towers above its competition like a giant among dwarfs. Any one of its divisions could comprise an entire business. Why is this so?"
The Master replied, "Why do you ask such foolish questions? That company is large because it is large. If it only made hardware, nobody would buy it. If it only made software, nobody would use it. If it only maintained systems, people would treat it like a servant. But because it combines all of these things, people think it one of the gods! By not seeking to strive, it conquers without effort."
8.2 A Master Programmer passed a novice programmer one day.
The Master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game.
"Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?"
The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the Master. "I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said the Master. "Yet every such device has another level of play, where the device seeks not to conquer the human, nor to be conquered by the human."
"Pray, Great Master," implored the novice, "how does one find this mysterious setting?"
The Master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it with his heel. Suddenly the novice was enlightened.
8.3 There was once a programmer who wrote software for personal computers. "Look at how well off I am here," he said to a mainframe programmer who came to visit. "I have my own operating system and file storage device. I do not have to share my resources with anyone. The software is self-consistent and easy-to-use. Why do you not quit your present job and join me here?"
The mainframe programmer then began to describe his system to his friend, saying, "The mainframe sits like an ancient Sage meditating in the midst of the Data Center. Its disk drives lie end-to- end like a great ocean of machinery. The software is as multifaceted as a diamond, and as convoluted as a primeval jungle. The programs, each unique, move through the system like a swift-flowing river. That is why I am happy where I am."
The personal computer programmer, upon hearing this, fell silent. But the two programmers remained friends until the end of their days.
8.4 Hardware met Software on the road to Changtse. Software said: "You are Yin and I am Yang. If we travel together, we will become famous and earn vast sums of money." And so they set forth together, thinking to conquer the world.
Presently, they met Firmware, who was dressed in tattered rags and hobbled along propped on a thorny stick. Firmware said to them: "The Tao lies beyond Yin and Yang. It is silent and still as a pool of water. It does not seek fame; therefore, nobody knows its presence. It does not seek fortune, for it is complete within itself. It exists beyond space and time."
Software and Hardware, ashamed, returned to their homes.
BOOK 9 Epilogue Thus spake the Master Programmer: "Time for you to leave."