Do your desk, learn to evaluate development time

It seems to be quite simple to make a table. Anyone would think they could do it, wouldn't they? Just look for a big four-square plank with four long wooden pillars, four nails and a hammer. Then you nail four pillars to the four corners of the square, and you make a table. When when!

Now, let's get a real carpenter to create a table for you. First, he needs to spend time talking to you about the purpose and function of the table-whether you use it indoors or outdoors, in the kitchen or in a restaurant, but mainly to show or use it, and how much load it needs to withstand. Then he also needs to determine what materials to use-cork or hardwood, wood or plywood or railroad sleepers. After that, he also studied the style of the table-the side of the table design, table legs base design, whether the table legs in the middle or four corners. When this was done, he went to work on the table, and then he spent a lot of time in the oblique section, chisel eyes, fit all connection points, install braces, use high quality glue, nails, screws, and he also checks surface formation, polishing it, coloring, sealing wax, polishing-thus creating a table that can be proud of. So it looks like there's a whole bunch of things to do, doesn't it? It's just a table, isn't it?

But there are many different ways to make a table, and how much do you know?

The table with only four nails looks very rough, it is unstable, because the table leg is not firm, the table foot is uneven, at most can use one weeks, one of its legs will wring, cannot afford a salt jar weight. Carpenter's table looks better, easy to use and beautiful, it is very strong, not shaking, table legs corrected, straight, very flat, no edges and corners, can be used for a long time, you can rest assured on it on top of a sumptuous dinner with a group of guests to enjoy. Which do you want more?

When people talk about software, most people imagine that the workload is much like the first table building process. You just need to create a database, fill in some data, draw some interfaces, and that's it, and you get a software PRODUCT. I can't think of a way of knowing how people like this happen. Maybe people used to excel--"I can do this with Excel, so programming should be very simple." What the?

It's not easy to develop software. A lot of work needs to be done. Very much like the way the carpenter made the table. As designers and programmers, we need to understand business, user use cases, and product capabilities. We need to discuss and understand who is going to use it, what functions it has, how it integrates with other software, where it will be used, how much data, etc., and so on. We then spend a lot of time building the architecture to ensure that it can withstand user and data load pressures, to be able to upgrade and expand, to handle large amounts of data (such as a single table load). We then need more time to write quality, readable, maintainable code, test each component, make sure they run correctly and quickly, correct bugs, and clear bottlenecks (use the correct structure and associations on the database table model). We also need to use more time to assemble these components together to ensure that each interface is properly invoked to ensure that errors are captured, ensuring that the interface is designed to be usable, simple and pleasing (table cut, drilled, fit, polished, shaded, polished). Ultimately, we deliver our customers a complete and trustworthy product, a product that meets our needs, a product that we and you are proud of.

I believe that carpenters rarely encounter things that are as maddening as the programmer needs to face. Perhaps his client would complain that it took too long to make the table, or that it was too expensive. Perhaps his client did not say what the table would be for or what it should be, and then loudly complained that it was inconsistent with the expectations he had never uttered. Maybe their clients would stare at him and say that it only takes a few planks and hours for the table to be made, and that the carpenter has been making tables for thousands of of years, and this table can be different. Maybe their clients would say it's simple, so it should be quick, cheap, and magically done, and I guess that's what they think.

That's exactly what our clients are doing. And almost every time. "It only takes you a couple of hours ..." or "You can do it ..." or "you could do it." It's simpler, or "you just need to simply change it to ...". What the?

Adding new features to a software product is not like nailing a nail or add a column. We need to understand the form and function of the new feature, create it, test it, write the document, and make sure that the new additions do not affect the existing system. If we do not, the software will make mistakes, everywhere is a bug, can not run correctly, to the user to bring a lot of problems. There are a lot of software projects like this, and anyone who has ever used this problematic software will not trust it or even use it. It's like that rocking table.

If you need a new feature, do it, but be prepared to discuss it carefully with our carpenter, the programmer. We will use the correct solution to develop the application you want to ensure that it runs correctly, has been running correctly. You come to us to want quality, reliable software, like you get a quality table from a carpenter.

Don't tell us how easy it is--unless you've done it yourself. If you really think you can make it quick and easy, try it yourself. Do it, assemble a shaking table.

If you want to get a good product, understand that development takes time and skill, there are a lot of problems you can't even imagine. Inside, craftsmen are people, there are feelings, a good product is always a happy thing, worthy of our efforts and patience, so that it will be all of us can be proud of things.

[English text of this article link: It Should only Take you a Few Hours ...]