In computer programming, abstraction inversion is an anti-pattern arising when users of a construct need functions implemented within it but not exposed by its interface.

In computer programming, Database-as-IPC may be considered an anti-pattern where a disk persisted table in a database is used as the message queue store for routine inter-process communication (IPC) or subscribed data processing.

Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) models are often presented without clarifying the viewpoint represented by the model. By default, these models denote an implementation viewpoint that visualises the structure of a computer program.

A big ball of mud is a software system that lacks a perceivable architecture. Although undesirable from a software engineering point of view, such systems are common in practice due to business pressures, developer …

Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by …

In computer programming and software engineering, the ninety-ninety rule is a humorous aphorism that states: The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time.

In project management, a death march is a project which participants believe to be destined for failure, or that requires a stretch of unsustainable overwork.

Overengineering, or over-engineering, is the act of designing a product or providing a solution to a problem that is complicated in a way that provides no value or could have been designed to be …

The expression cart before the horse is an idiom or proverb used to suggest something is done contrary to the natural or normally effective sequence of events.

In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in or customer lock‑in, makes a customer dependent on a vendor for products, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs.