Better Software - March 2008 - (Page 8)

Editor’s Pick Last year, I decided to crochet my sister’s birthday present. I found a pattern online for an unusual sweater-wrap hybrid that I thought would really appeal to her. Then I went to the fabric store and looked at my yarn options. I selected a bulky weight yarn in a rich scarlet that I thought would suit her blond hair and fair skin. Since we are about the same size and I wanted to surprise her, I thought I would just guesstimate and try the sweater on myself instead of asking for her measurements. Quotables “We kick ourselves, or others, for not ‘getting it right up front’ when we all know that Fred is right: The hardest part of software development is figuring out what to build. ” Jeff Patton, “the neglected Practice of iteration” www.stickyMinds.com/quotables10-2a. “When you start the clock and say, ‘Go,’ these people will be at a loss and start grabbing those who look like they know what they’re doing to ask them what they should be doing. ” Michele Sliger, “Sixty StePS in the right direction” www.stickyMinds.com/quotables10-2b. “The stuff that I do is very unusual. When there are problems with the system, they tend to be way more spectacular. ” Peter clark, Sticky toollook interview with JoSePh McalliSter June 8, 2006 www.stickyMinds.com/quotables10-2c. “Resistance is futile. I, too, have been avoiding this like the plague. Unfortunately, and fortunately, this has caught up to us. And there are some tools out there that help to automate the testing process. My main concern is the training/ knowledge item, as this is what is also the failing in QA/test in general, too. ” StickyMindS.coM MeMber JiM hazen coMMenting on linda hayeS’ coluMn “what freSh hell iS thiS?” www.stickyMinds.com/quotables10-2d. Heather Shanholtzer Editor, Better Software Magazine hshanholtzer@sqe.com With most of my requirements—pattern, yarn, and “measurements”—in hand, I was all set. It took about five minutes before I realized that the yarn I had chosen was ridiculously hard to work with. To save some time and frustration after wrestling with the first few stitches, I ignored the number one crochet requirement: Before beginning any new project, you should always check the gauge by making a test swatch using the recommended yarn and needle size and then comparing the swatch to the dimensions given in the pattern. Two hours and five feet of discarded, tangled yarn later, I had made about an inch worth of progress on my sister’s sweater. The three weeks I had allotted myself to finish the project suddenly seemed arrogantly optimistic. Two weeks after my sister’s birthday, I had several feet of crocheted fabric, enough, it seemed, to sew up the arms and call the sweater-wrap complete. With the sleeves sewn, I had a luxuriously soft, brilliantly red sweater ready to wrap around my shoulders to make sure it would fit. If my sister were a really small ten-year-old, the sweater might have fit her, but she isn’t and it didn’t. At least I assume it didn’t—I was too embarrassed to show it to her. If I had paid attention to all of my requirements and not just to the fun ones, I would have presented my sister with an attractive and functional article of clothing that she would have enjoyed. Instead, I have a very pretty, very useless length of fabric stuffed in a bag at the back of my closet. Writing code before In her StickyMinds.com column “Ready, Fire, Aim,” Mary Gorman recounts her similarly frusunderstanding requirements trating experiences with requirements. Analyzing a project’s interface requirements often starts late and focuses—sometimes exclusively—on creating a snazzy user interface. not only guarantees that the But failing to conduct interface analysis in a timely fashion increases the risk of project delays, overruns, and even failure. In her column, Mary makes the case for investing in software is by definition bug free (only interface analysis by explaining what it is and how it reduces the risk in software projects. She also describes best-practice models that help teams identify and validate document the requirements after first crucial elements in all types of interfaces that may exist in software applications. determining what the software actually Read this month’s Editor’s Pick “Ready, Fire, Aim” at www.stickyMinds.com/editorspick10-2. does), but also allows complete flexibility in saying yes to 8 BETTER SOFTWARE MARCH 2008 www.StickyMinds.com whatever users want. http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com/quotables10-2a http://www.StickyMinds.com/quotables10-2b http://www.StickyMinds.com/quotables10-2c http://www.StickyMinds.com/quotables10-2d http://StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com/editorspick10-2 http://www.StickyMinds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Better Software - March 2008

Better Software - March 2008 Contents Mark Your Calendar Contributors eLightenment Technically Speaking Code Craft Test Connection Management Chronicles Cover Story: Breaking Ground On SOA Software Development Worst Practices Mind the Gap Product Announcements 10 Things You Might Not Know About... The Last Word Ad Index

Better Software - March 2008

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