Well... probably most of you have already known, I have been participating into some discussions related to software processes. I agree with TheCPUWizard that mostly we spent 20% - 30% coding. It may be a bit atonishing, but in an article I have read (can't remember where is it), it mentioned that effectively, programmer writes a line of good code everyday. This is because lot of time is needed on designing and evolving a good framework as well as debugging it.

Please bear with me for thinking out loud. IMHO, I don't think we should see ourselves as being only a passive coder. Ultimately, by some time in the future if nothing goes wrong, we will advanced and need to start thinking about design. This is because with a large project that uses a lousy framework is not likely to survive long due rapid requirement changes. Due to the restrictive limitation of the framework, how can we be competitive in todays aggressive market.

Beside design, we also need to be aware of the process of how we deliver our product. It is something that we practise so that successes are repeatable and at the same time, gives us an edge over our competitors. Without a clear understanding of the current process, how can we be able to do our work effciently? Also, it is very crucial that we need to spot and amend the process if there is something amiss. Even if we are very familiar with the process, we shouldn't be content at where we are, repeating the same process over and over again. This is because there is no way we can obtain different result by repeatly doing the same thing. This only means that we only staying at where we currently are while our competitors are always moving. In other words, we need to improve on our current process so that we can move together with our competitors, if not ahead.

BTW, if galathea is around, I am sure that she will be very interested in such topic. If I remember correctly, she has been trying to apply XP at work. It will be enlighteing if she can shared some of her insight.


My 0.2 cents.