Definition
YAGNI is an acronym that stands for “You Aren’t Gonna Need It”. It originates from Extreme Programming. It’s a statement that some capability we presume our software needs in the future should not be built now because “you aren’t gonna need it”.
Origin
It originates as an idea from XP. XP co-founder Ron Jeffries has written: “Always implement things when you actually need them, never when you just foresee that you need them.” Other forms of the phrase include “You aren’t going to need it”and “You ain’t gonna need it”
Further Reading
- “Extreme Programming Explained”, by Kent Beck.
- “eXtreme Programming in Action: Practical Experiences from Real World Projects”, by Martin Lippert.
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