One Line of Working Code Is Worth 500 of Specification



One Line of Working Code Is Worth 500 of Specification

Allison Randal

dESign iS A BEAuTiFul THing. A systematic, detailed presentation and review of a problem space and solution reveals errors and opportunities for improvement, sometimes in a startlingly dramatic way. The specifications are important because they provide the pattern for building. Taking the time to think through the architecture is important, both on a macro level with an eye for interactions between components and, on a micro level with an eye for behavior within a component.
Unfortunately it’s far too easy to get wrapped up in the process of design, enthralled by architecture in abstract. The fact is that specifications alone have no value. The ultimate goal of a software project is a production system. A software architect must always keep an eye on this goal, and remember that design is merely a means to an end, not an end in itself. An architect for a sky- scraper who ignored the laws of physics to make the building more beautiful would soon regret it. Losing sight of the goal of working code spells serious trouble for any project.
Value the team members who work on implementing your vision. Listen to them. When they have problems with the design, there’s a good chance they’re right and the design is wrong, or at least unclear. It’s your job, in these cases, to modify the design to meet real-world constraints by working with your team members to determine what works and what does not. No design is perfect from the start; all designs need to be modified as they are implemented.
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If you’re also a developer on the project, value the time you spend writing code, and don’t believe anyone who tells you it’s a distraction from your work as architect. Your vision of both macro and micro levels will be greatly enhanced by the time you spend in the belly of the beast bringing it to life.
Allison Randal is chief architect and lead developer of the open source project Parrot. In more than 25 years as a programmer, she has developed everything from games to linguistic analysis tools, e-commerce websites, shipping fulfillment, compilers, and database replication systems; worked as a language designer, project manager, conference organizer, editor, and consultant; been president of an open source software foundation; written two books; and founded a tech publish- ing company.