15 Fundamental Laws of Software Development

A comprehensive collection of 15 fundamental laws that govern software development, revealing that success depends more on understanding human behavior, communication, and cognitive limitations than technical skills. Key laws include Occam's Razor (prioritize simplicity in design), Pareto Principle (80% of effects stem from 20% of causes), Linus's Law (given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow), Peter Principle (managers rise to their level of incompetence), and Hofstadter's Law (it always takes longer than expected, even accounting for Hofstadter's Law). Additional principles cover the Dunning-Kruger Effect, Robustness Principle, Eagleson's Law, Dilbert Principle, 90-90 Rule, Parkinson's Law, Sayre's Law, and Parkinson's Law of Triviality. Engineering leaders will learn that these laws provide crucial insights for project estimation, team management, code review processes, and organizational design. Understanding these principles helps leaders navigate common pitfalls like underestimating timelines, promoting based on wrong criteria, and getting caught in trivial debates while missing critical issues.