---
id: "prereq-software-engineering-lifecycle"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["00:06:29", "00:12:35"]
tags: ["devops", "git"]
related: ["concept-production-comprehension-gap", "concept-explanation-artifact"]
reason: "Necessary to grasp the analogy of the 'Explanation Artifact' being an evolution of a Git commit message, and to understand the severity of the AWS production outage."
sources: ["s14-job-market-reality"]
sourceVaultSlug: "s14-job-market-reality"
originDay: 14
---
# Understanding of the Software Engineering Lifecycle

## What you need to know

The speaker uses terminology like:

- **PRs** (Pull Requests)
- **Commits** and **merging code**
- **Production environments**
- **Schemas** and typed definitions

A basic understanding of how software is built, reviewed, and deployed is necessary.

## Why it's required

- To grasp the analogy that a [[concept-explanation-artifact]] is an evolution of a Git commit message.
- To understand the severity of the AWS production outage cited in [[claim-production-outruns-comprehension]] and at [[entity-amazon-d14]].
- To understand why merging code you can't hold in your head ([[concept-production-comprehension-gap]]) is dangerous.