Specifications Are the New API Between Product and Engineering(blog.davidlapsley.io)
blog.davidlapsley.io
Specifications Are the New API Between Product and Engineering
https://blog.davidlapsley.io/engineering/ai-assisted%20development/product%20management/2026/02/24/specifications-are-the-new-api.html
3 comments
Bob Slydell: So, what you do at Initech is you take the specifications from the customer and bring them down to the software engineers?
Tom Smykowski: Yes, yes that's right.
Bob Porter: Well then I just have to ask why can't the customers take them directly to the software people?
Smykowski: Well, I'll tell you why, because, engineers are not good at dealing with customers.
Slydell: So you physically take the specs from the customer?
Smykowski: Well... No. My secretary does that, or they're faxed.
Porter: So then you must physically bring them to the software people?
Smykowski: Well. No-- Ah sometimes!
Slydell: What would you say you do here...?
Smykowski: (shouting) Engineers are not good with people! I'm a people person!
Tom Smykowski: Yes, yes that's right.
Bob Porter: Well then I just have to ask why can't the customers take them directly to the software people?
Smykowski: Well, I'll tell you why, because, engineers are not good at dealing with customers.
Slydell: So you physically take the specs from the customer?
Smykowski: Well... No. My secretary does that, or they're faxed.
Porter: So then you must physically bring them to the software people?
Smykowski: Well. No-- Ah sometimes!
Slydell: What would you say you do here...?
Smykowski: (shouting) Engineers are not good with people! I'm a people person!
Have you seen my stapler?
Yes, that's called "programming", as Dijkstra explained https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD06xx/EWD667...