Brooks identifies four inherent properties that make software fundamentally complex.
1. Complexity: Software entities are more complex for their size than perhaps any other human construct—no two parts are alike Quote from Mark Richards: “Architecture is the stuff you can’t Google”—because every architecture is a unique combination of context, constraints, and requirements that no generic solution can address. Modern Context: AI can express complex systems in code, but cannot resolve the underlying conceptual complexity.
2. Conformity: Software must conform to arbitrary human institutions and systems, many of which cannot be simplified. Modern Context: Low-code platforms impose conformity to their frameworks, creating vendor lock-in.
3. Changeability: Software is constantly subject to pressures for change in ways that physical artifacts are not
4. Invisibility: Software is invisible and unvisualizable—its structure doesn’t lend itself to geometric representation
Source: No Silver Bullet - Frederick P. Brooks, Jr
Note
This content was drafted with assistance from AI tools for research, organization, and initial content generation. All final content has been reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by the author to ensure accuracy and alignment with the author’s intentions and perspective.