Law of Triviality
Also known as: Bikeshedding, Parkinson's Law of Triviality, Bikeshed Effect
Formulated by
C. Northcote Parkinson
(1958)
menu_book
From
Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress
Definition
The tendency of groups to devote disproportionate time and attention to trivial, easily-grasped matters while giving complex, high-stakes decisions comparatively little scrutiny. C. Northcote Parkinson illustrated the principle in his 1958 book Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress with a fictional finance committee that approves a £10,000,000 nuclear reactor contract in two and a half minutes, then spends forty-five minutes arguing over the roofing material for a £2,350 bicycle shed, and over an hour debating a £57 annual coffee budget. Parkinson's conclusion: 'the time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved' — everyone feels qualified to have an opinion on a bicycle shed or a coffee bill, but few are willing to challenge a reactor design they don't understand. The idea was later popularized in software engineering circles as 'bikeshedding' by developer Poul-Henning Kamp.