14
THE LAWS OF SOFTWARE PROCESS
Explanation and Observations
In some ways, these are a pivot point around which opinions of knowl-
edge rotate. Debating these points has occupied the attention of some of
the best thinkers the human race has ever known. From a purely practical
point of view, however, they appear to be reasonable working hypotheses.
We cannot obtain requirements from a customer who does not know what
he or she wants (Hypothesis One). We cannot test a system unless we have
a set of test data and expected results against which to measure the sys-
tem’s performance (Hypothesis Two). These hypotheses have some signif-
icant practical use in designing projects. For instance, there is no point in
engaging in a long and detailed analytical ...