Development Team as a Jazz Band
Working within a software development team is like being a member of a jazz band. Software architects convert specifications into overall designs. Engineers distill overall designs into detailed designs of individual modules. And, implementers convert detailed designs into source code. Each role has some degree of creative freedom. Each member improvises while keeping their contributions consistent with the whole software system.
In La La Land, Sebastian speaking about individual musicians of a jazz band captures the sentiment exactly:
“One after the other, everyone gets their moment… And you put it all together — each player, each sound — into one single story.” (La La Land)
La La Land. Dir. Damien Chazelle. Lionsgate, 2016. Film.