Good developers always strive to become better. We spend time searching for the perfect language, the perfect framework, the perfect IDE, the perfect testing tool, the perfect methodology.
Building great software requires all of these things, albeit nothing is perfect. There is no perfect methodology, language, or tool. At times we focus so much on the most complex things that we forget how to do the most simple things, like designing software that people actually enjoy using. In some large organizations it can feel like a single line of code is a million miles away from the person using the application. In some large organizations it can feel like everyone is more interested in delivering projects than applications, meeting targets rather than delivering an amazing user experience.
Good developers always try to deliver amazing software in spite of these obstacles. The perfect methodology for our team may not integrate well with the rest of the organization. The perfect programming language may be unknown to most developers on the team. The perfect architecture may require three months to develop but the deadline is three weeks away. Eventually we discover a harmonious balance between pragmatism and idealism, or we struggle to produce quality software. How does a team who is forced to compromise eventually triumph and deliver software that is reliable, easy to maintain, and a pleasure to use?
Morale.
