Definition
The tendency to give disproportionate weight to trivial issues. Also known as bikeshedding.
Classification reasoning
Requirements are ranked based on their importance. The decisions which are made in relation to designing the architecture is directly dependent on which features are most important and the complexities involved in their implementation.
Example
During product development, sometimes an assumption is made that adding more features leads to product enhancement. The assumption for the need of every feature is not validated and results in the lack of use of many features.
Impact
Valuable time spent on developing features which are not used. The features have to be kept in mind while designing the architecture of the software thereby directly or indirectly affecting the design decisions.
Debiasing techniques
In the above case, validate the assumption that a particular feature is needed. Often, this occurs due to vagueness in the requirements document. In such a case, clarify the requirements before assigning weights to issues.
Related biases
- Complexity, Planning Fallacy