Is Software Becoming Like Fast Food?

Several years ago another developer told me he felt that software was becoming like fast food. I was intrigued with the analogy, so I inquired into what exactly he meant. What he meant was that businesses just want software fast and cheap; hence the analogy to fast food. Whether it is good quality, poorly designed, or even maintainable is all secondary to just getting something out the door. The conversation lasted for all of 2 or 3 minutes and I honestly didn't give it much thought after that conversation.

At the time, roughly 5 years ago, I did not completely see things in the same light as my colleague. What was also interesting is that he was more junior than I was, yet had already become cynical of software development.

Fast forward to today, and several years of being in Agile environments, and I'm now seeing more of what I'm calling "Drive-Thru Development", or "McSoftware Development", that seem to indicate that is where the industry is heading. This is by no means based on any large study, but rather based on my own experiences and on conversations with several other developers across many companies of various sizes and industries. All of the developers I have discussed this topic with have over 10 years experience in software development.

Developing the right software, the right way, is not easy and takes up-front investment, a lot of thought, and good process. If all these things are in place, I believe it is possible to deliver software quickly that adds value and is quality software. But is that the norm at most technology companies or IT departments in companies? I've been fortunate enough to work on projects where we achieved high velocities, and yet, still delivered quality software that added business value. But it was not easy and it took a lot of very talented and dedicated individuals at all levels (i.e. management, development, QA, etc.).

Again, these are just observations, but I was curious if others in technology are seeing this trend? And if this is a trend, is it really a new trend or simply more exposed and elucidated by the adoption of Agile? Or is it simply the reality based on business demand and expectations (realistic or not)?

I look at this question in more depth in this recent blog posting.