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The Top 10 Elements of Good Software Design

"You know you've achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away" - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Much is spoken of "good design" in the software world. It is what we all aim for when we start a project, and what we hope we still have when we walk away from the project. But how do we assess the "goodness" of a given design? Can we agree on what constitutes a good design, and if we can neither assess nor agree on the desirable qualities of a design, what hope have we of producing such a design?

Below, for your edification and discussion, is our collective notion of the Top 10 Elements of Good Software Design, from least to most significant. That is, we believe that a good software design ...

10. Considers the Sophistication of the Team that Will Implement It
9. Uniformly Distributes Responsibility and Intelligence
8. Is Expressed in a Precise Design Language
7. Selects Appropriate Implementation Mechanisms
6. Is Robustly Documented
5. Eliminates Duplication
4. Is Internally Consistent and Unsurprising
3. Exhibits Maximum Cohesion and Minimum Coupling
2. Is as Simple as Current and Foreseeable Constraints will Allow
1. Provides the Necessary Functionality

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