Welcome back to another episode of Building Better Developers. Today, we're tackling an issue that every developer faces at some point: panic during software delivery. Whether it's a critical bug or a new feature that isn't functioning as expected, panic can strike anytime your software fails in the hands of a user. Rob and Michael cover handling software delivery panic with practical tips and real-life examples.
Delivering software is a delicate process. Even when you've thoroughly tested your code and believe it to be bulletproof, something can always go wrong. Often, the panic ensues because:
Recently, Rob faced this scenario with a technically knowledgeable customer. Despite understanding the development process, the customer encountered a show-stopping bug in an alpha version. Their immediate reaction was that the project was nowhere near completion, creating a sense of panic.
During our call, he expressed concerns that none of the features seemed to work. He acknowledged that bugs and design flaws were expected at this stage, but the issue was so severe that it led to a dramatic loss of confidence in the project.
The first and most crucial step when faced with panic is to stay calm. Take a deep breath and focus on understanding the situation:
Reassure the stakeholders that you're on top of the situation:
Use this experience to strengthen your development and testing processes:
Michael shares an insightful story about a shared work experience. Despite rigorous testing, their boss would find bugs within minutes of a release. This constant scrutiny drove home the importance of thorough testing and the psychological pressure of delivering seemingly flawless code.
One key takeaway from Michael's story is the value of Test-Driven Development (TDD). By writing tests before the actual code, you ensure that each function meets the specified requirements. This approach not only catches potential issues early but also clarifies the expected behavior for each part of your application.
Before starting on a new feature or bug fix, consider the following:
SonarQube Is a code quality assurance tool that performs in-depth code analysis and generates an analysis report to ensure code reliability.
ESLint statically analyzes your code to quickly find problems. It is built into most text editors and you can run ESLint as part of your continuous integration pipeline.
PMD is an extensible multilanguage static code analyzer. It finds common programming flaws like unused variables, empty catch blocks, unnecessary object creation, etc.
Pylint is a static code analyser for Python 2 or 3. The latest version supports Python 3.8.0 and above.
Pylint analyses your code without actually running it. It checks for errors, enforces a coding standard, looks for code smells, and can make suggestions about how the code could be refactored.
Panic during software delivery is unavoidable, but it's manageable. By staying calm, communicating effectively, and learning from each incident, you can turn these challenging moments into opportunities for improvement. Remember, every bug is a lesson in disguise, pushing you toward becoming a better developer.
That's it for today's episode. We hope these insights help you handle panic more effectively and continue building better software. Until next time, keep calm and code on!
We invite you to join our community and share your coding journey with us. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, there's always room to learn and grow together. Contact us at info@develpreneur.com with your questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes. Together, let's continue exploring the exciting world of software development.
