In pursuit of perfection

The most common mistake a programmer can make is not in the list of bugs for his program. It is not a function of the programmer's age or language of choice. It is, simply, the assumption that his abilities are complete and there is no room for improvement.

Arguably, such is human nature; but I would argue that human nature is always on the prowl for knowledge and improvement. Only hubris and the fear of being proven wrong hold us back. Resisting them both will not only make a better programmer, but a better person as well.

The social interactions and the quality of the people, I believe, are what create successful software teams more than any other factors. Constant improvement in a programmer's skills and the ability to take criticism are fundamental requirements for members of a software team. These requirements should precede all others.

Think back to the last time you changed your style. Was it the new algorithm you learned, or commenting style, or simply a different way of naming your variables? Whatever it was, it was only a step along the way, not the final change that made your code complete and perfect.

A programmer shouldn't be required to follow precise code guidelines to the letter; nor should he improvise those guidelines to get the job done. Consider an orchestra -- neither static, soulless performers nor wildly improvisational virtuosos (though the latter is more acclaimed). A static performer simply follows the notes without putting effort and soul into the music; the virtuoso must restrain herself from errantly exploring new pieces of the melody or marching to the beat of her own drum.

Striking a concordant tone

Code guidelines are like the written directions a musician follows -- when to come on, when to come off, how fast to play, what beat, etc. The notes themselves, to extend the analogy somewhat precariously, are the goals of the project -- sometimes lone high notes, and sometimes a harmony of instruments.

In an orchestra, there is a conductor that directs but does not tell every musician how to play, and everyone has a part in the performance. The conductor creates harmony. Because music has been around for many more centuries than the art of programming, perhaps these are lessons well worth learning. The software project manager is neither a gorilla nor a walled-off convict. She is a part of the team just like everyone else.

The guidelines presented in this series are not to be blindly extracted into an official coding policy. The coding standards in your project are uniquely yours, and they reflect your very own orchestral composition. Don't force programmers to do things exactly right, thereby creating an atmosphere of distrust and fear. You can forget about code reviews, or admission of responsibility for the smallest bugs.

Instead, present the guidelines and watch how people react. If no one adopts the comment format you like, perhaps it's a bad format. If people write without cleverness, perhaps you have been too clever in the guidelines. If the debugger you thought everyone must run is sitting in a dusty room, still packed, then rethink the need for Whizzo Debugger 3.4. Maybe everyone is happy with Acme Debugger 1.0 for a reason.

Of course, programmers can be stubborn for no reason at all, only out of reluctance to change. It's hard to convince people that 20 years of experience do not entitle them to an organized religion. On the other hand, freshly minted college graduates often lack self-confidence. Recognize and adapt to those characteristics, and to all the others of your team. Present ideas to the stubbornly experienced in such a way that they feel they have helped with it. Build up the college graduates with guidance and support until they can fly on their own.