Why Do Devs Spend a Sprint on 20% of the features?

Just last week, I poured a full day into an article arguing Context over Redux for state management. Only to log on to Reddit and half the threads were developers stressing over simple. I took it as a sign that the universe was throwing a neon sign at me to write about over-engineering. So, here we are. I scroll through Reddit. First post: Am I a trash dev if I can’t solve problems? I feel like a walking null pointer. Half the replies say "Solve Leetcode till your brain runs on recursion. The other half? "Just write more code, it’ll click". Then a senior dev shows up, drops a Paxos lecture on someone who just wants to know if they’ll land a job. Scroll again. Didn’t study CS. Am I screwed? One camp blames bootcamp grads for everything wrong with tech. The other insists degrees are useless."Just ship code". Same pattern, different threads. And it clicks. This isn’t just venting. It’s why devs over-engineer. More tools, more complexity, more proof we belong. Except, that’s not how it works. What actually happens? Time sinks: Kubernetes for a login page? Really? Slower releases: A one-hour fix turns into a week-long refactor. Users don’t care: You built a system no one needed. Tech debt grows: Good luck maintaining that. The market moves on: While you perfect, someone else ships. Over-engineering isn’t always bad. Sometimes, it’s the right call. The key is knowing when. I break it all down here. If your sprint keeps disappearing into trying to perfect your project. Check it out.

Apr 2, 2025 - 07:14

Just last week, I poured a full day into an article arguing Context over Redux for state management.

Only to log on to Reddit and half the threads were developers stressing over simple.

I took it as a sign that the universe was throwing a neon sign at me to write about over-engineering.

So, here we are.

I scroll through Reddit. First post:

Am I a trash dev if I can’t solve problems? I feel like a walking null pointer.

Half the replies say "Solve Leetcode till your brain runs on recursion. The other half? "Just write more code, it’ll click".

Then a senior dev shows up, drops a Paxos lecture on someone who just wants to know if they’ll land a job.

Scroll again.

Didn’t study CS. Am I screwed?

One camp blames bootcamp grads for everything wrong with tech. The other insists degrees are useless."Just ship code".

Same pattern, different threads. And it clicks.

This isn’t just venting. It’s why devs over-engineer. More tools, more complexity, more proof we belong.

Except, that’s not how it works.

What actually happens?

Over-engineering isn’t always bad. Sometimes, it’s the right call. The key is knowing when.

I break it all down here. If your sprint keeps disappearing into trying to perfect your project. Check it out.