Better Software - January 2008 - (Page 63) CHRISTMAS-MORNING HEARTBREAK Beginning just after Halloween and ending on Christmas morning, children’s anticipation is fueled by relentless marketing for the season’s hottest toys. With visions of talking, flying, and magical toys, children embark on the genetically programmed process of convincing their parents they need all the toys. Harried parents weave through crowded malls in search of the coveted toys. On Christmas Eve, festively wrapped presents are carefully placed under the tree. Christmas-morning happiness quickly turns to heartbreak once the endless layers of protective packaging have been removed and reality sets in. Space Conquerors can’t fly. Fishbowl Monkeys don’t look anything like the package. What good is the Fashion Runway doll without all the clothes and accessories? These children aren’t spoiled rotten, their parents aren’t completely incompetent, the toys aren’t broken, and the commercials weren’t outrageous lies. The underlying problem is that, amidst the season’s hustle and bustle, no one took the time to carefully read the fine print: “Batteries not included,” “Not exactly as seen on TV,” “Parts sold separately,” and “For ages 6+.” Disaster could have been averted if parents had acted accordingly. Likewise, test-driven development (TDD) heartbreak begins just after a slick demo or training class and ends with the first production release. In between, presentations, books, and articles by people selling state-of-the-art tools and consulting services fuel the team’s expectations. With visions of “It’s as simple as redgreen-refactor,” “The tests take less than a minute to write,” “Deliver defect-free code faster and cheaper,” and “No more documentation,” the team convinces management that it needs it all. On “Production Eve,” carefully written code is placed in the repository, ready for production. Teams frequently experience “Christmas-morning heartbreak” because they, too, haven’t “read the fine print” and acted accordingly. Early success is short lived, and TDD gets abandoned like yesterday’s tinsel because: www.StickyMinds.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 BETTER SOFTWARE 63 http://www.StickyMinds.com
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