97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know

Chapter 17. Deliver Better Software, Faster

Burk Hufnagel

For me, Deliver Better Software, Faster is a guiding principle, and one I strongly recommend you adopt because it describes what must happen to keep your users happy. In addition (and perhaps more importantly), following it can result in a more enjoyable and interesting career. To see how, let’s examine the three parts of this important idea:

1. Deliver means taking responsibility for more than just writing and debugging code. Despite appearances, you aren’t paid to write code. You’re paid to make it easier for your users to do something they find valuable, and until your code is running in production, they won’t benefit from your hard work.

   Changing your focus from writing code to delivering software requires understanding the overall process for getting your changes into production and then doing two key things:

   • Making sure you aren’t doing things that hinder the process, like guessing the meaning of a vague requirement instead of asking for clarification before implementing it.

   • Making sure you are doing things that speed up the process, like writing and running automated tests to show your code meets the acceptance criteria.

2. Better Software is shorthand for two ideas you should already be familiar with: “building the right thing” and “building the thing right.” The first means ensuring that what you’ve written ...