Roy Tang

Things software development projects can learn from “The Martian” (maybe spoilers lol):

• If you rush things, you might leave something behind that will cost you a lot more later
• You need to have buffer in your schedule for the inevitable disasters
• If you have impossible deadlines, limited resources, overworked staff, and decide to skip testing to meet deadlines, don’t expect things to go smoothly
• If your stuff doesn’t work, see if there’s some Chinese alternative. Or look for some sort of coffee-powered genius to come up with a miracle solution
• If you make a unpopular decision, your staff might go off on their own and risk their lives trying to complete the mission
• Problems will occur at almost every step, be prepared to make stuff up as you go along
• Solve one problem at a time until you get to go home