ConceptAccidental Complexity
Accidental Complexity
A concept introduced by Fred Brooks in No Silver Bullet, referring to complexity introduced by inadequate approaches to solving a problem. It includes poor architectural design, excessive abstraction, and technical debt—burdens that software engineering practice should actively work to eliminate.
Timeline (last 90 days)
Sep 12
Accidental complexity stems from the way a problem is solved rather than the problem itself, such as poor architectural design, over-abstraction, technical debt, and inconsistent coding standards.
Unverified50%