The Stress Equation

Chapter 10Increasing Performance, Not Pressure

How well do you cope with stress?

It’s a strange question to ask in a job interview because it’s really just a rephrasing of the question: How well do you think you will cope with this company’s inability to balance pressure, complexity, and security?

The Stress Equation is my attempt at explaining the technical, organizational, and cultural challenges I often encounter in software departments and companies.

When writing a book like this, it’s easy to find yourself on a high horse, pointing out what everyone else is doing wrong and what they should be doing instead. I have tried to keep a nonjudgmental tone, even if a tad bit sarcastic from time to time because the fact of the matter is that creating ...