diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 43f3c51..484e3e9 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Like this project? Please considering [Sponsoring Me](https://github.com/sponsor * [Introduction](#introduction) * [Laws](#laws) * [Amdahl's Law](#amdahls-law) + * [The Broken Windows Theory](#the-broken-windows-theory) * [Brooks' Law](#brooks-law) * [Conway's Law](#conways-law) * [Cunningham's Law](#cunninghams-law) @@ -98,6 +99,24 @@ See also: - [Brooks' Law](#brooks-law) - [Moore's Law](#moores-law) +### The Broken Windows Theory + +[The Broken Windows Theory on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory) + +The Broken Windows Theory suggests that visible signs of crime (or lack of care of an environment) lead to further and more serious crimes (or further deterioration of the environment). + +This theory has been applied to software development, suggesting that poor quality code (or [Technical Debt](#TODO)) can lead to a perception that efforts to improve quality may be ignored or undervalued, thus leading to further poor quality code. This effect cascades leading to a great decrease in quality over time. + +See also: + +- [Technical Debt](#TODO) + +Examples: + +- [The Pragmatic Programming: Software Entropy](https://pragprog.com/the-pragmatic-programmer/extracts/software-entropy) +- [Coding Horror: The Broken Window Theory](https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-broken-window-theory/) +- [OpenSource: Joy of Programming - The Broken Window Theory](https://opensourceforu.com/2011/05/joy-of-programming-broken-window-theory/) + ### Brooks' Law [Brooks' Law on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%27s_law)