Another short one for your eye holes.

There are few things that I hate more than some "tech luminary" telling you how the way they do things is the "bestest, most truest way to do anything ever." It's a load of bollocks.

Today our lives are filled with pithy medium posts that espouse the virtues of "what works for me" as "what should work for you, or there is something wrong with you. You should feel ashamed" and I loathe it.

And these articles run the gamut.

From posts detailing why you should use CSS frameworks to posts on why using CSS frameworks makes you the concierge on the 3rd level of hell, people, usually those with giant platforms, have decided to conflate their own situational efficiency with broadly applicable patterns and processes.

That's not how things work and they need to stop.

I am super glad that at Basecamp teams of 3 are the Holy Grail, really I am. But making the case that anything else is wrong, is irresponsible. I have been on plenty of teams that were 7, 8, or 10.

Guess what? We did just fine. I have also been on teams of 3 that were nightmares. I have been on teams where managers weren't necessary and I have been the manager brought on to a team to save it from the black abyss of dysfunction.

That being said would I say that 7 is the perfect number for teams, and if you have any more or less you're directly responsible for the collapse of western society?

Of course not. There are so many other things you did that are responsible for the fall of society as we know it. You know what I'm talking about Steve, Gary, Bruce. You know.

But your team size and relative efficiency? Doesn't even make the list.

What matters is what works for you, your team and your project. Nothing else. It doesn't matter what I say, or anyone else.

Should you read what has worked for other people? Absolutely.

But you should be reading everything that is written on these subjects, including this post, through the lens of your own situation, timelines, and project needs. They dictate everything and are the most important factors when it comes to a successful outcome or a botched failure.

Becuase there is no one, true way.