Programming: The Quality Guarantee
By Russ Finney
Finally, its time to begin programming! Getting here has been a seemingly endless series of focusing activities, each one narrowing in on the optimal solution. At last, the time has arrived to implement the specified design. All of the programmer packets are ready to be distributed, and the selected technological environment is ready to go. So just start coding (or generating), right? No quite so fast. This is the pivotal period in the system building lifecycle. Again discipline and a professional approach should temper the urge to rush through the phase. All of the prior activities have been directed toward contributing to the success of the construction effort. Now is the time for disciplined care and craftsmanship! System construction should be conducted with several principles in mind:
- Great designs do not guarantee a high quality construction effort; quality is a product of the total approach taken by the team throughout this phase.
- Each component should be built with the greater system "whole" as the overriding concern - not the individual egos of the programmers.
- The programming effort must be directed toward the ultimate interconnectability of the various pieces in order to accomplish the defined, complex business mission of the final assembled product.
The single greatest contributor to the accomplishment of a high quality completed system is the level of discipline to which the team leader is able to get the project team to aspire. This is not an easy order to fill. Time, budget, and resource deadlines tend to get in the way of doing the job right the first time - if ever! This is unfortunate since a reasonable, focused amount of quality oriented discipline can produce long term pay back many times greater than any short term gain. A disciplined approach provides the following benefits:
- The odds of getting it right the first time increase.
- The system will possess a higher level of maintainability.
- The business clients will develop a greater level of confidence in the final product.
- A greater sense of pride and accomplishment will be experienced by the project team.
- The long term profitability and responsiveness of the business organization will be improved.
Copyright © 1999, Russ Finney, All Rights Reserved