Comments on: The Blame Game: How Necessary Is Traceability? http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/ Ideas for building efficient developers and software Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:03:44 -0500 hourly 1 By: Mel Grubb http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2629 Mel Grubb Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:04:39 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2629 Solubility schmolubility. I'm looking at some code right now, and I understand exactly what it's doing from a code perspective. It's copying a value from a payment definition (template) into an actual instance of a check. I have no trouble understanding the CODE, but I wasn't in the domain walkthrough with the original developer, so I'm lacking the BUSINESS knowledge that he had. It's easy to throw out a word like "Solubility" or a phrase like "Self-documenting" and say that all our code should be readable by future developers, but when you're working on complex business processes, there is a lot of information that you can gain by asking a simple question rather than trying to re-live part of another developer's life. I can slog my way through all of the original feature documentation and learn it all myself, or I can just say "Hey, Dave, why are we copying the gross amount to the check instead of the net?" Solubility schmolubility. I’m looking at some code right now, and I understand exactly what it’s doing from a code perspective. It’s copying a value from a payment definition (template) into an actual instance of a check. I have no trouble understanding the CODE, but I wasn’t in the domain walkthrough with the original developer, so I’m lacking the BUSINESS knowledge that he had. It’s easy to throw out a word like “Solubility” or a phrase like “Self-documenting” and say that all our code should be readable by future developers, but when you’re working on complex business processes, there is a lot of information that you can gain by asking a simple question rather than trying to re-live part of another developer’s life. I can slog my way through all of the original feature documentation and learn it all myself, or I can just say “Hey, Dave, why are we copying the gross amount to the check instead of the net?”

]]> By: Slava Imeshev http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2626 Slava Imeshev Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:06:54 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2626 Traceability doesn't make sense until your credit card grows legs and walks away :-) Regards, Slava Imeshev Traceability doesn’t make sense until your credit card grows legs and walks away :-)

Regards,

Slava Imeshev

]]> By: Why Traceability Matters « Technistas http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2592 Why Traceability Matters « Technistas Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:50:47 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2592 [...] a link to a post I did yesterday on the subject of traceability and metrics. It is in response to Max Pool’s post on CodeSqueeze. Between Max’s post and my post, I think we cover most of the key arguments around [...] [...] a link to a post I did yesterday on the subject of traceability and metrics. It is in response to Max Pool’s post on CodeSqueeze. Between Max’s post and my post, I think we cover most of the key arguments around [...]

]]> By: Why Traceability Matters « Software Configuration Management http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2590 Why Traceability Matters « Software Configuration Management Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:03:29 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2590 [...] Traceability Matters In a recent blog post on CodeSqueeze (http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/) the subject of traceability and its utility in software project management was discussed. This [...] [...] Traceability Matters In a recent blog post on CodeSqueeze (http://www.codesqueeze.com/the.....ceability/) the subject of traceability and its utility in software project management was discussed. This [...]

]]> By: Tina Marie http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2589 Tina Marie Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:11:29 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2589 The traceability is useful for identifying more systematic problems. For example, if in one month you run into 3 resource leak issues, did you have 3 people who each caused one of them, or did you have one developer who caused them all? If it was one person, perhaps pointing them in the direction of some training, or pairing them with a developer who is strong in that area, would resolve the issue. To channel the 80's: "Knowing is half the battle!" The traceability is useful for identifying more systematic problems. For example, if in one month you run into 3 resource leak issues, did you have 3 people who each caused one of them, or did you have one developer who caused them all? If it was one person, perhaps pointing them in the direction of some training, or pairing them with a developer who is strong in that area, would resolve the issue.

To channel the 80’s: “Knowing is half the battle!”

]]> By: Max Pool http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2587 Max Pool Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:07:56 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2587 @Kevin and @Mel - Nope, I fully support unit testing - that's you putting words in my mouth ;) ...and yes, any team that is playing the "blame game" will (and does) get a stern talking...that type of crap does not fly with me... The idea of eliminating traceability is only an idea for increasing an egoless and unified development team. Perhaps it is an idealistic extreme that can never work, but it is a thought towards producing ego-free teams that produces highly soluble code. @Kevin and @Mel –

Nope, I fully support unit testing – that’s you putting words in my mouth ;)

…and yes, any team that is playing the “blame game” will (and does) get a stern talking…that type of crap does not fly with me…

The idea of eliminating traceability is only an idea for increasing an egoless and unified development team. Perhaps it is an idealistic extreme that can never work, but it is a thought towards producing ego-free teams that produces highly soluble code.

]]> By: Mel Grubb http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2586 Mel Grubb Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:30:11 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2586 WHOA there, Max. Are you saying that unit testing is only needed for teams with development problems? If your team isn't unit testing, then your team quite definitely has problems. Testing isn't something you do to solve existing problems. Testing is something you do to prevent future problems. WHOA there, Max. Are you saying that unit testing is only needed for teams with development problems? If your team isn’t unit testing, then your team quite definitely has problems.

Testing isn’t something you do to solve existing problems. Testing is something you do to prevent future problems.

]]> By: Kevin Pang http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2585 Kevin Pang Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:24:54 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2585 @Max Pool I agree that if your code base is 100% easily grokable and well-commented, then traceability is not very important. So yes, you could say that. But you could also say that if your team needs unit testing then does your team not have code developing problems? From my experience, there is *always* code in a project that is a bit hairy. Sometimes it's the developer's fault (bad code). Sometimes it's the project's fault (unrealistic deadlines). Sometimes it's nobody's fault (the algorithm is just naturally very difficult to understand without some domain knowledge). Regardless, there will come a time where the ability to trace down the original developer is not only useful, but necessary. So to counter: if your team is using traceability to play the "blame game", doesn't your team have ego issues that need to be looked into first? I would think that solving the behavioral issues would be more effective than removing a tool that has other useful purposes other than facilitating this behavior. @Max Pool

I agree that if your code base is 100% easily grokable and well-commented, then traceability is not very important. So yes, you could say that. But you could also say that if your team needs unit testing then does your team not have code developing problems?

From my experience, there is *always* code in a project that is a bit hairy. Sometimes it’s the developer’s fault (bad code). Sometimes it’s the project’s fault (unrealistic deadlines). Sometimes it’s nobody’s fault (the algorithm is just naturally very difficult to understand without some domain knowledge). Regardless, there will come a time where the ability to trace down the original developer is not only useful, but necessary.

So to counter: if your team is using traceability to play the “blame game”, doesn’t your team have ego issues that need to be looked into first? I would think that solving the behavioral issues would be more effective than removing a tool that has other useful purposes other than facilitating this behavior.

]]> By: orcmid http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2583 orcmid Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:28:39 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2583 If you have a team where traceability becomes a blame issue, I think you need to address that problem. The accountability factor can be critical if there is a breakdown (especially in deployed code) and you need to figure out how it happened and what the lessons and process improvement need to be. If you don't want to trace to the developer, you need to trace to those actions that were used to affirm that the code was all right and maybe what the approval process was. If we are egoless, doesn't that mean everyone owns the code as if it is theirs, and they own the defects the same way? The traceability is because you need it, along with that. If you have a team where traceability becomes a blame issue, I think you need to address that problem.

The accountability factor can be critical if there is a breakdown (especially in deployed code) and you need to figure out how it happened and what the lessons and process improvement need to be.

If you don’t want to trace to the developer, you need to trace to those actions that were used to affirm that the code was all right and maybe what the approval process was.

If we are egoless, doesn’t that mean everyone owns the code as if it is theirs, and they own the defects the same way? The traceability is because you need it, along with that.

]]> By: Dew Drop - July 14, 2008 | Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2582 Dew Drop - July 14, 2008 | Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:37:56 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/the-blame-game-how-necessary-is-traceability/#comment-2582 [...] The Blame Game: How Necessary Is Traceability? (Max Pool) [...] [...] The Blame Game: How Necessary Is Traceability? (Max Pool) [...]

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