A quote from Rands about the interaction in software development teams:
Time. Quality. Features. It’s usually described as a triangle, which somehow represents the state of your product or your feature. I believe the idea is that in a perfect and unattainable world, this triangle is perfect, equilateral, and seemingly at rest. There is balance among the time you have to release, the quality you are seeking to attain, and the features you want to ship.
In reality, this triangle is never at rest. It’s constantly shifting and, well, I don’t think it’s actually a triangle. It’s just a mental model that gives you just enough ammunition to lie.
The whole article is worth reading — I like the concept of “Bits”, “Features” and “Truth” as roles for certain people on the team. It seems more approachable than the traditional engineering manager, product manager and program manager titles.
“I’m the Bits” does sound wrong, though.