Frontmatter Luniel de Beer, Co-Author of Ready: Why Most Software Projects Fail and How to Fix It
Sep 17, 2025
Luniel de Beer, a seasoned software product and delivery systems architect with over 15 years of experience, joins to discuss pivotal insights from his book. He shares his journey from South Africa to the U.S., critiquing the dangers of blindly following tech practices. Luniel dives into the importance of understanding requirements, illustrating how even simple tasks can miss crucial context. He elaborates on the Requirements Maturation Flow, emphasizing shared understanding and custom definitions that can make or break software projects.
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Early Hands-On Learning Shaped His Approach
- Luniel learned programming at age 10 and built commercial software by 16, shipping a payroll system to a local smith.
- That early habit of learning users' work shaped his lifelong focus on understanding problems before coding.
Developer–User Disconnect Undermines Outcomes
- Luniel observed a consistent disconnect between developers and end users across companies and roles.
- He concluded that bridging that knowledge gap is essential for correct software outcomes.
Being Wrong Forced Deeper Learning
- Luniel recounted a senior developer dismissing estimation practices as guesses, prompting self-reflection.
- He admitted he couldn't explain planning well and returned to learn and apologize, improving his understanding.
