https://towardsdatascience.com/data-is-a-stakeholder-31bfdb6...
(Disclaimer: I wrote the post at the above link).
If you have a sound design you can still create a huge amount of value even with a very simple technical toolset. By the same token, you can have the biggest, baddest toolset in the world and still end up with a failed implementation if you have bad design.
There are resources out there for learning good design. This is a great introduction and points to many other good materials:
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist/dp/0...
A Pattern Language, Alexander and Ishikawa and Silverstein http://amzn.to/2s9aSSc
Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment , Stevens http://amzn.to/2qPOMjN
Algorithmics: the Spirit of Computing, Harel http://amzn.to/2rW5FNS
Applied Crytography, Wiley http://amzn.to/2rsULxS
Clean Code, Martin http://amzn.to/2sIOWtQ
Clean Coder, Martin http://amzn.to/2rWgbEP
Code Complete, McConnel http://amzn.to/2qSUIwE
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, Petzold http://amzn.to/2rWfR9d
Coders at Work, Seibel http://amzn.to/2qPCasZ
Compilers: Principles, Techniques, & Tools, Aho http://amzn.to/2rCSUVA
Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, O'Hallaron and Bryant http://amzn.to/2qPY5jH
Data Flow Analysis: Theory and Practice, Khedker http://amzn.to/2qTnSvr
Dependency Injection in .NET, Seemann http://amzn.to/2rCz0tV
Domain Driven Design, Evans http://amzn.to/2sIGM4N
Fundamentals of Wireless Communication, Tse and Viswanath http://amzn.to/2rCTmTM
Genetic Programming: An Intrduction, Banzhaf http://amzn.to/2s9sdut
Head First Design Patterns, O'Reilly http://amzn.to/2rCISUB
Implementing Domain-Driven Design, Vernon http://amzn.to/2qQ2G5u
Intrduction to Algorithms, CLRS http://amzn.to/2qXmSBU
Introduction to General Systems Thinking, Weinberg http://amzn.to/2qTuGJw
Joy of Clojure, Fogus and Houser http://amzn.to/2qPL4qr
Let over Lambda, Hoyte http://amzn.to/2rWljcp
Operating Systems: Design and Implementation, Tanenbaum http://amzn.to/2rKudsw
Parsing Techniques, Grune and Jacobs http://amzn.to/2rKNXfn
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, DeMarco and Lister http://amzn.to/2qTu86F
Programming Pearls, Bentley http://amzn.to/2sIRPe9
Software Process Design: Out of the Tar Pit, McGraw-Hill http://amzn.to/2rVX0v0
Software Runaways, Glass http://amzn.to/2qT2mHn
Sorting and Searching, Knuth http://amzn.to/2qQ4NWQ
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelson and Sussman http://amzn.to/2qTflsk
The Art of Unit Testing, Manning http://amzn.to/2rsERDu
The Art of Unix Programming, ESR http://amzn.to/2sIAXUZ
The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist, Brooks http://amzn.to/2rsPjev
The Effective Engineer, Lau http://amzn.to/2s9fY0X
The Elements of Style, Strunk and White http://amzn.to/2svB3Qz
The Healthy Programmer, Kutner http://amzn.to/2qQ2MtQ
The Linux Programming Interface, Kerrisk http://amzn.to/2rsF8Xi
The Mythical Man-Month, Brooks http://amzn.to/2rt0dAR
The Practice of Programming, Kernighan and Pike http://amzn.to/2qTje0C
The Pragmatic Programmer, Hunt and Thomas http://amzn.to/2s9dlvS
The Psychology of Computer Programming, Weinberg http://amzn.to/2rsPypy
Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques, Gray and Reuter http://amzn.to/
Types and Programming Languages, Pierce http://amzn.to/2qT2d6G
Understanding MySQL Internals, Pachev http://amzn.to/2svXuFo
Working Effectively with Legacy Code, Feathers http://amzn.to/2sIr09R
Zen of graphics programming, Abrash http://amzn.to/2rKIW6Q
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist/dp/02...
Some references (sorry for the formatting, if this becomes a thing I'll do the wiki and the logo):
Slides:
https://github.com/tef/emfcamp2012/raw/master/programming_is...
Blub Paradox:
http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?BlubParadox
Perl and 9/11:
http://www.paulgraham.com/hijack.html
10x:
http://hfs.sagepub.com/content/16/1/70.short
http://www.construx.com/10x_Software_Development/Origins_of_...
http://www.construx.com/10x_Software_Development/Productivit...
Waterfall (same pdf, linking from 2 sources):
http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/spring2003/cmsc838p/Process/wate...
http://leadinganswers.typepad.com/leading_answers/files/orig...
Conway's law:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law
Unrelated, Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy (I just like this law):
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/iron.html
X-Y Problem:
http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy...
Atwood, Don't Learn to Code:
http://blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code/
Wason selection task:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wason_selection_task
LMGTFY:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pieget+constructive+learning https://www.google.com/search?q=curry+howard+isomorphism
Amazon Links, no referral:
http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful... http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-3... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B8USS14/ref=wl_mb_recs_2_title http://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist-ebook...
Somebody also suggested "The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist", by Frederick P. Brooks (Mythical Man Month) ... http://amzn.to/ueRrkv
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist/dp/0...