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1. Plan your project thoroughly
2. Write up a project definition document  which includes Project Specifications , Your  Goals and Proposals to meet them
3. Draw all your forms on paper first
4. For All complicated functions :- Draw flow charts Class Diagrams (Booch , Rumbaugh) or write out algorithms on paper
5. The more time you spend on designing the less time you will spend on debugging

Coding the project

1. When coding procedures (functions or Subs) keep them the size of the screen height so that it is easy to view the whole procedure.
2. Split large functions into smaller procedures
3. Each procedure should only do one task
4. Spend time to simplify your procedures (KISS Keep It Simple Stupid)
5. Include a testing stratergy in  your plan

 

Programmers Comments

1. Use as much inline comments in you code to explain what you are doing (Remember someone will have to fix your code or make changes to your code your comments are all he has to help him)
2. Try to achieve a 10 to 20 % ratio of comments in source code
3. Use Program / Module / Class Templates to document you code with the following information

• Module /Class Name
• Version number (module/Class)
• Version date
• Programmer’s Name
• Description of the module/class
• Description of procedures/methods and variables/properties

1. Use meaningful variable and procedure names so as to explain what they store or do
2. Don’t re-use your variables in modules or procedures It is better to declare more variables as this can lead to bugs
3. The Hungarian Naming convention is most useful in describing what your variables or functions return

• n                 Integer                        nMyvar
• s                 String                          sMystring
• v                 Variant                        vMyvariant
• b                 Boolean                      bMyBool
• dte              Date                             dteMyVar

Version control

1. Use Version control (Oops I smashed my program again now I cant make it work)
2. There are many tool available that keep track of the versions of your software allowing you to cut back to a previous working version quickly. There are good products on the market.
3. A simple way of implementing version control is to open a folder with date plus 001 as name and if you make another major change that day you simply make another folder with name as date plus 002

Control Project with a Project Planning Tool

1. In a Commercial environment you need to set milestones to determine when you will deliver your project
2. Use Optimistic/Pessimistic/Most likely times to determine component delivery times (see below)
3. Use a Gantt Chart or a  Pert Chart (Microsoft Project) to determine when you will deliver you can deliver you give each component a name and a time to write .
4. Use your project management tool to keep track as to whether you are ahead or behind schedule
5. By using such a tool you can revise the component delivery times and so advise you customer when you will be able to deliver

Optimistic Pessimistic Most Likely delivery times

6. To determine how long you will take to complete a component use this little rule
7. Estimate the fastest time you can deliver (optimistic) OT
8. Estimate the longest time you could deliver (Pessimistic)PT
9. Estimate the most likely time to deliver MT
10. Delivery Time= (3*MT+OT+PT)/5

1. Plan you testing strategy
2. Try to test with “Bad Data” its easy to make something work with "good data"
3. Performance testing to determine whether changes yielded improvement
4. Test all values that can be passed to functions and all values that can be returned
5. You need to verify if the code checks user input and data from database
6. Determine that no files are left open and all handles are released
7. Beta testing with selected target users trained to use the system
8. Three levels of testing

• You may test all functions individually
• However you may also want to test how functions interact together
• Testing the whole system

1. Inspecting Software Documentation flowcharts
2. Is the designs flow-charted efficient can improvements be made
3. Check that are sufficient comments which are relevant in the code
4. Checking the User Documentation, Training materials
5. Running trial runs Acceptance testing of software
6. Does the software meet the design specifications
7. Does the work presented comply with Company’s Quality Standards ( ISO9001)
8. Make sure variables in procedures are not used for different purposes

Project File

1. If you are writing an application for commercial purposes open a project file and put all flow diagrams Class diagrams and print outs of algorithms as well as a hard copy of you’re the latest version of your software in it (Now you will appreciate the need for inline comments.
2. Include the Project definition document   which includes the  Project Specifications
3. Print out and file your delivery project plan
4. Keep minutes of all meetings with customer as the customer will accuse you of not delivering what he thinks he told you
5. Get customer to agree with your concepts before coding the application
6. Get customer to sign off your programs and file these this prevents disputes
7. File all comments from User evaluations and your proprosals to meet their expectations

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