tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post1179829566787334689..comments2023-06-05T08:45:12.716-04:00Comments on kwblog: People ProblemsKevin Berridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13759114853595462455noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-82328084015970482352010-01-06T11:39:03.323-05:002010-01-06T11:39:03.323-05:00At the end of the day the decision will be made fo...At the end of the day the decision will be made for you by you. It will come down to what your expected duration of involvement is, the goals outlined by your employer and how they match up with your client; assuming you are working in a consultative capacity, your own ability. If I have two weeks to write code and I need three to write it with all of the proper considerations as they relate to product lifespan, then guess what, unless I want to admit I can't get in done in two weeks I will solve the solution any way I can. If project management recognizes this as a strength and not a weakness then I can ask for a timeline revision and do the proper thing. At the end of the day it usually ends up above our paygrade.Howard Clarkhttp://www.testrocket.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-16957249692398863132009-12-23T16:52:04.030-05:002009-12-23T16:52:04.030-05:00I wouldn't say "don't worry about qua...I wouldn't say "don't worry about quality" and neither does your client who wants software. <br /><br />But I would say, "That's too expensive" or "That'll take too long" or "My friend's house is this way" etc...<br /><br />The point is not that you shouldn't always want to write the highest quality software possible. The point is that trade-offs are real, and you can't just put the blinders on and ignore them.Kevin Berridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13759114853595462455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-49424282437948333572009-12-23T16:29:10.297-05:002009-12-23T16:29:10.297-05:00strange though, when the same question, but say, a...strange though, when the same question, but say, affecting one's house, adding a new room, etc, you wouldnt just say "get it done, dont worry about 'quality'.. shouldnt software be the same?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-4493326891574236182009-12-22T10:18:01.945-05:002009-12-22T10:18:01.945-05:00Yeah, I'm with you guys. I believe there are ...Yeah, I'm with you guys. I believe there are almost no circumstances that truly warrant writing crappy code. But plenty of circumstances that warrant a certain trade off between how much time you have to do it right and how important it is to deliver it yesterday.Kevin Berridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13759114853595462455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-25991391851146262322009-12-22T09:16:13.526-05:002009-12-22T09:16:13.526-05:00I've written throw away code before. The prob...I've written throw away code before. The problem was that I didn't know it was throw away code at the time. The good thing was that I was able to leverage some of that throw away code to develop the new app that solved the ever-changing problems of my customer. I wouldn't have been able to do that without developing a decent product from the start.<br /><br />Captcha: "pultret"...Plural of poultry? Multiple groups of poultry. That would be a lot of poultry.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02831036920085590069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6579772240267288367.post-36042170659335169342009-12-22T08:57:14.705-05:002009-12-22T08:57:14.705-05:00You scared me there for a second into thinking you...You scared me there for a second into thinking you were going to become one of those uber pragmatist people who devalues quality in the name of getting stuff done. Fortunately you included this quote "That is, unless I'm actually supposed to be developing a long life product, which will require all kinds of future enhancement and maintenance and re-configuring."<br /><br />That said here's a little addendum to that. In my experience there is no such thing as a short life product that wont require future enhancement and maintenance. We frequently talk about how in "phase 2" we'll clean everything up or how what we are doing is "throw away." Problem is throw away apps and phase 2 have a lot in common with unicorns and Santa Claus. They are fun to think about and sometimes you can convince people they exist... but in reality.. not so much. <br /><br />Ok so that's not really fair.. I have been on a phase 2 before, and I have written truly throw away code, but 9 times out of 10 its an excuse to not create a maintainable product. <br /><br />Your right though that there is a trade off. The pride in is tends to drive us to over engineer at times and endlessly refactor. It's important to remember that "shipping is a feature."Josh Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179432092617833919noreply@blogger.com