Software is bread, not burgers

I was reading the book Richard Hart Bread last night when I came across this paragraph:

Absolute devotion to consistent methods and exact recipes is useful when you’re running a fast-food franchise or a fine dining kitchen, but when you’re baking bread, the most important thing is to understand your dough and be ready to make adjustments.

It struck me as a good analogy for software.

Some developers treat software work as factory job — assuming clear specifications, unambiguous instructions, and a clear “done” point on each task. This is not unlike making burgers at McDonald’s, where work is procedural and unambiguous.

But software doesn't work that way. Designs are directional, not final. Implementation often reveals new complexities. Even after you think you’ve finished, there’s usually more to refine. Throughout the process, a developer must rely on intuition, and adapt dynamically.

Software is bread, not burgers.