The Effect of Illness

Id like to comment explicitly on the effect of illness. I was able to work, although in a lot of pain, for about a month during this project. For a couple of weeks, I couldnt stand to sit in front of the computer for more than an hour a day. Yet I felt that I could design. My paper designs were, frankly, inadequate.

Im not sure whether to blame that on being ill or on the fact that paper designs, in the absence of feedback, are inherently risky. My philosophy would be to claim the latter, but both were probably part of the equation. In any case, my advice is to focus on getting concrete feedback about designs early and often. And dont assume that working through illness means being tough. It might well be a time to get more help, rather than a time to be brave and try to push through by force. Force isnt one of our best programming techniques, even in the best of times.

Does Incremental Development Work?

This, of course, is the big question. Its clear to me, and I hope its clear to you, that it certainly worked for me on this project. Will it work for you on your project? That is for you to determine.

You have seen the techniques used here: test-driven development, starting with simple design, a strong focus on recognizing duplication and other evidence of design problems, a willingness to improve the code when we see the signs, and so on. All of these require skill, which is gained by practice. The skills are valuable in their own right, and they may enable you to find a more flexible way to develop your software.

Incremental development works for me, and I believe it will work for you.

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