It's barely three weeks since my last post, and already I'm being badgered to do another one. Well I was going to do one anyway so don't think you've won!
Have you ever seen the TV ads for the Nationwide Building Society ? There's one where a chap enters a bank and asks why he's no longer getting the high rate of interest he was getting when the account was first opened. The bank responds, "Ah, that's a special rate for brand new customers only - designed to real 'em in and get 'em hooked". Here's a similar video (the actual one can be found here but sometimes it says you need to be a member to view it).
Well, I find life's like that all over - not just with banks. There's too much telling people what they want to hear rather than telling them how it is. As a Quality Assurance auditor once said to me, "Say what you do and do what you say", this certainly should ring true for life in general.
People are just as much to blame for this as any organisation though in my opinion. I'm sure we've all been drawn into things thinking that they'd turn out better than they actually did at some point. But why ? I think it's just a general overriding will to get on and do well, as most people are genuinely trusting, but there'll be some element of greed from many I'm sure.
So, what's the solution ? I don't know! But I think everyone in the world should at some time say "Stop! Hold on, lets get this straight, tell me how it is and don't pull the wool over my eyes, then we all know what we're dealing with and can put it right."
It's certainly something I shall subscribe to from now on...
TTFN
Disclaimer: The views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else. Views and opinions are subject to change without notice!
Wednesday 23 January 2008
Sunday 6 January 2008
First 'Proper' Post ? - Perhaps...
So soon ? Well, just been thinking in general about software and the best ways to achieve things (on a Sunday morning) and a few things spring to mind;
What makes a Professional ?
“My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what’s really going on to be scared.” - PJ Plauger
It doesn’t get much simpler than that! You can always spot the inexperienced programmers in a meeting saying “Oh yeah that can be done. That’s easy!” That’s when you know to be terrified. I know, I've done it, thankfully though not too often and not in recent years. I've always come up trumps though, but it can be a very hard slog if you under-estimate something in this industry.
The reason I'd been thinking about achievements in software is that one can often not only under-estimate what it will take to achieve something, but under-estimate one's achievements when something is completed. I find lots of projects like that - you begin to think about the processes you've been through to get to the 'end result' and then think to yourself "Good grief, wouldn't want to go through that again!" - but of course you do anyway ;-)
In addition, those who end up with the 'end result' of course don't usually appreciate what's been required to get it - they can't, unless they're programmers themselves, and even then some may still not grasp the complexities involved.
In all of this, the one thing that I hate the most is often at the design stage of a project (or rather the lack of a design stage). Things often just start off as an idea, and then gradually progress into a requirement. As the idea and requirements grow, more and more people get involved and the requirements get woolly or ill defined because everyone has their own idea of what they want and how it should work. Then as is usually the case the project becomes urgent and programming has to start before the requirements are fully defined and documented (if at all). This is were we end up with the dreaded 'feature creep'. I've had to deal with this on almost every project I've ever worked on, to the extent that I almost consider it to be normal.
Before you know it the project turns into something that has to be all things to all men and yet still needs completing within original timescales and budget. It can't happen though, and I usually say that unless a project's scope is properly defined and costed in the first place, you can only ever have two of the three key aspects :-
1. It can be on time and in budget but won't have all the required (and undocumented) fancy features.
2. It can be on time and have all the fancy features but won't be within budget.
3. It can be within budget and have fancy features but won't be on time.
Of course this is just a generalisation, and you often end up with a permutation of all three, but you get the idea.
I suppose I'm looking for that utopian project that probably will never exist :-|
Well, that's all for now, catch you all later.
TTFN
Disclaimer: The views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else. Views and opinions are subject to change without notice!
What makes a Professional ?
“My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what’s really going on to be scared.” - PJ Plauger
It doesn’t get much simpler than that! You can always spot the inexperienced programmers in a meeting saying “Oh yeah that can be done. That’s easy!” That’s when you know to be terrified. I know, I've done it, thankfully though not too often and not in recent years. I've always come up trumps though, but it can be a very hard slog if you under-estimate something in this industry.
The reason I'd been thinking about achievements in software is that one can often not only under-estimate what it will take to achieve something, but under-estimate one's achievements when something is completed. I find lots of projects like that - you begin to think about the processes you've been through to get to the 'end result' and then think to yourself "Good grief, wouldn't want to go through that again!" - but of course you do anyway ;-)
In addition, those who end up with the 'end result' of course don't usually appreciate what's been required to get it - they can't, unless they're programmers themselves, and even then some may still not grasp the complexities involved.
In all of this, the one thing that I hate the most is often at the design stage of a project (or rather the lack of a design stage). Things often just start off as an idea, and then gradually progress into a requirement. As the idea and requirements grow, more and more people get involved and the requirements get woolly or ill defined because everyone has their own idea of what they want and how it should work. Then as is usually the case the project becomes urgent and programming has to start before the requirements are fully defined and documented (if at all). This is were we end up with the dreaded 'feature creep'. I've had to deal with this on almost every project I've ever worked on, to the extent that I almost consider it to be normal.
Before you know it the project turns into something that has to be all things to all men and yet still needs completing within original timescales and budget. It can't happen though, and I usually say that unless a project's scope is properly defined and costed in the first place, you can only ever have two of the three key aspects :-
1. It can be on time and in budget but won't have all the required (and undocumented) fancy features.
2. It can be on time and have all the fancy features but won't be within budget.
3. It can be within budget and have fancy features but won't be on time.
Of course this is just a generalisation, and you often end up with a permutation of all three, but you get the idea.
I suppose I'm looking for that utopian project that probably will never exist :-|
Well, that's all for now, catch you all later.
TTFN
Disclaimer: The views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else. Views and opinions are subject to change without notice!
Saturday 5 January 2008
First Post - Don't expect too much...
Yeah yeah, I know, nothing much to see here in this post, but hopefully it'll be one of many. Can't commit to writing on a regular basis though - life's too busy for that, so don't get on my case if it ain't updated regularly. We'll see how it goes.
So what's this blog all about ? Software Development of course, the trials and tribulations of, and the general mental state a software developer has (or gets!) during his working life.
Actually, I've just been asked by one of my colleagues what the hell I'm going to write about. I've even tried to get him to do one (a blog, that is...) and he said he didn't really know what he'd put on such a blog. Then I thought to myself, what am I going to write about ? Well, I don't know either, surprise surprise, so I'll write on here all that springs to mind, about anything that springs to mind, but it'll be largely software related since that's where I seem to spend most of my life!
I suppose one reason I decided to make a blog (on top of the suggestions (read 'demands') from others that I should make one) is that I can say what the hell I like (within reason). Web Forums are ok (and there are many that I frequent where I often simply have to keep my mouth shut) and one has to maintain a certain level of conduct/decency on them - a blog doesn't have those limits I suppose.
Anyway, if he does make his own blog, I'll give a link to it here and you can then all gain some insight into both our worlds (or have a laugh at our expense).
One thing I'd like to point out before I go any further (and I hope somewhere that there's a way to make this 'sticky' or something) is that the views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else.
So folks, sit back, read at your leisure and enjoy the ride!
TTFN
Disclaimer: The views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else. Views and opinions are subject to change without notice!
So what's this blog all about ? Software Development of course, the trials and tribulations of, and the general mental state a software developer has (or gets!) during his working life.
Actually, I've just been asked by one of my colleagues what the hell I'm going to write about. I've even tried to get him to do one (a blog, that is...) and he said he didn't really know what he'd put on such a blog. Then I thought to myself, what am I going to write about ? Well, I don't know either, surprise surprise, so I'll write on here all that springs to mind, about anything that springs to mind, but it'll be largely software related since that's where I seem to spend most of my life!
I suppose one reason I decided to make a blog (on top of the suggestions (read 'demands') from others that I should make one) is that I can say what the hell I like (within reason). Web Forums are ok (and there are many that I frequent where I often simply have to keep my mouth shut) and one has to maintain a certain level of conduct/decency on them - a blog doesn't have those limits I suppose.
Anyway, if he does make his own blog, I'll give a link to it here and you can then all gain some insight into both our worlds (or have a laugh at our expense).
One thing I'd like to point out before I go any further (and I hope somewhere that there's a way to make this 'sticky' or something) is that the views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else.
So folks, sit back, read at your leisure and enjoy the ride!
TTFN
Disclaimer: The views and opinions I post are the views and opinions of me, and me only, and do not reflect views or opinions of anyone or anything else. Views and opinions are subject to change without notice!
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