> First it was just the code. Short functions, few parameters, shallow nesting. Make everything testable and maintainable!

I don't think this is related to losing sight of the big picture, no more than focusing on good clear sentences means you can't write Anna Karenina.

But I do agree that sometimes the big picture is lost, with tasks that have been broken down inappropriately.

I have a suspicion that partly this is driven by open plan offices: tasks have to be broken down, as focus is a luxury.