creationism
The (false) belief that large, innovative software designs can
be completely specified in advance and then painlessly
magicked out of the void by the normal efforts of a team of
normally talented programmers. In fact, experience has shown
repeatedly that good designs arise only from evolutionary,
exploratory interaction between one (or at most a small
handful of) exceptionally able designer(s) and an active user
population - and that the first try at a big new idea is
always wrong. Unfortunately, because these truths don't fit
the planning models beloved of {management}, they are
generally ignored.
[{Jargon File}]