Oh, I guess I failed to emphasize the biggest point of defining accurate specs:
DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION DOCUMENTATION Even for our internal projects we *still* go through at least the vision and developer's documents. This means that our support team doesn't have to spend a week or more writing up docs for a project. They have all of the information there when it comes time to write a user's manual or say, "It does this already, now what do you want to add to it?" Another place where this comes in handy is in creating products that you may use for internal purposes now, but decide later to "shrink wrap" and sell to clients. I'm the lead developer for our internal project/task/time/contact/sales/invoice tracking tool. It's 150% internal right now, but a new developer can sit down and read the vision doc's going all the way back to Phase 1 (we're on 6 now) and define everything that this bad boy does. C. Hatton Humphrey, Developer Fisher, Towne & Associates 716-839-2141 x336 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 1:41 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Specifications (and a joke) > > > Thanks for the insight and the humor. I did forget to mention that we do > not develop for paying we develop in house tools for other departments > (customer service, sales, marketing, finance, etc.). But these things do > apply because it is even easier for feature creep to occur and then they > all wonder why something is not done by the original projected date. > > A perfect example is the project I am working on right now. It is a tool > for the sales desk to use to place orders. We are an ISP as well as a > phone company so this tool had to be able to reserve phone numbers, place > orders, notify provisioning etc. Great, simple enough. Originally they > needed to collect two addresses, billing and site. Over the time I have > been working on this project they now need to collect 4 addresses. Oh, and > by the way this should generate quotes and contracts too. Oops we forgot > to mention that we would like to look up quotes and be able to edit them > and resubmit them as a new quote. And another thing, can we inport data > from the customer database at the start of the order so the sales desk > doesn't have to enter this information for an existing customer. > > I know these are all valid things to have the system do but they should > have been specked out in the beginning of the project instead of > throughout. I would have had this done ages ago, except for everytime my > boss opens his mouth I get another week's worth of work to do on this > thing and then he wonders why I keep telling him that it's not going to be > done by the last date I gave him. > > Sorry to b*%ch and moan but this is driving me nuts. > > Kristine C. Hege [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Database & Applications Specialist Phone: (802) 463-2111 > SoVerNet Inc. Ext: 105 > 5 Rockingham St. > Bellows Falls, VT 05101 > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _ .----. . - . > PROGRAM (PRO'-gram') [n] A magic spell cast over a |C>_.|.:' .:. . > computer allowing it to turn one's input into error __|____|__ `:. O_/ > messages. [vi] To engage in a pastime similar to | ______--| \/M > banging one's head against a wall, but, with fewer `-/.::::.\-' _/ \_ > opportunities for reward. `--------' > > On Fri, 11 Jan 2002, C. Hatton Humphrey wrote: > > > I'll include a real answer and something that will make you laugh. > > > > The main reason for specs is to define the *exact* requirements > of a project > > or task and help identify problem areas in either business or > development > > logic. Specs keep both the client and the development group > honest, and > > accurately line out what is requested, discussed and agreed > upon. Where I > > work we have three documents: > > - Vision Document: This is created by our marketing group to > sell a product > > to the client. It's a culmination of what the client wants and > we say we > > can provide as a development firm. > > - Functional Specification Document: This is a legally binding > document that > > defines in no uncertain terms what has been agreed upon by the > client (what > > they will pay for) and the development firm (what we will > provide). It is > > written in such a way that there are no "gray areas" and don't > leave room > > for "well, I thought it was going to do such and such". As long as the > > product provided at the end of the development matches the > requirements set > > out in the FSD, anything else is either an enhancement or part > of a second > > revision. Both our clients and the Project Manager sign this document. > > - Developer documentation: This details each section of the FSD > explaining > > to the developer exactly what should be built. Sometimes not used. > > > > Understand, the company that I work for is a group of 30 people, with > > developers, architects, project managers, artists, a support team, and a > > marketing team. We do still sometimes miss, but the > documentation helps us > > define who's fault the "miss" was. > > > > and now for the funny part... > > IF ARCHITECTS HAD TO WORK LIKE WEB DEVELOPERS > > Dear Mr. Architect: > > Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what > I need, so > > you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere > between two > > and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that > the bedrooms > > can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints > to me, I will > > make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost > breakdown > > for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one. > > Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less > than the one > > I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the > > deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen > > vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough > > insulation in them). > > As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance > > costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of > extra-cost > > features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you > choose not to > > specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.) > > Please take care that modern design practices and the latest > materials are > > used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a > showplace for the > > most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that > kitchen should > > be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson > refrigerator. > > To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, > > make certain that you contact each of our children, and also > our in-laws. My > > mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the > house should be > > designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure > that you weigh > > all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. > I, however, > > retain the right to overrule any choices that you make. > > Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job > is to develop > > the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for > > example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet. > > However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue. > > Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources > to build the > > house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and > > specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the > > house to be under roof within 48 hours. > > While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in > mind that > > sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It > therefore should > > have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make > sure before > > you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my > > area that they like the features this house has. I advise you > to run up and > > look at my neighbor's house he constructed last year. We like it a great > > deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, > > particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful > engineering, I believe > > that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final > > cost. > > Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this > > time to do the real design, since they will be used only for > construction > > bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any > > increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes. > > You must be thrilled to be working on such an interesting > project as this! > > To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be > given such > > freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very > often. Contact > > me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans. > > PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the > > instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your > > responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in > the past and > > have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this > > responsibility, I will have to find another architect. > > PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel > trailer. Please > > advise me as soon as possible if this is the case > > > > > > C. Hatton Humphrey, Developer > > Fisher, Towne & Associates > > 716-839-2141 x336 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 12:05 PM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: Specifications > > > > > > > > > I need some help in convincing my boss that it would be a > real advantage > > > to write specifications for projects before starting them. I think he > > > thinks they are a waste of time but I think they can > significantly improve > > > application quality and time to market. > > > > > > Are their any resources I can use to prove this to him? What do other > > > companies consider standard proceedure when it comes to writing > > > specifications? > > > > > > I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here because, although I have the more > > > professional experience than the other programmers on the > team I am the > > > newest member. > > > > > > Any suggestions and ideas would be greatly appreciated. > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Kristine C. Hege [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Database & Applications Specialist Phone: (802) 463-2111 > > > SoVerNet Inc. Ext: 105 > > > 5 Rockingham St. > > > Bellows Falls, VT 05101 > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > _ .----. . - . > > > PROGRAM (PRO'-gram') [n] A magic spell cast over a > |C>_.|.:' .:. . > > > computer allowing it to turn one's input into error > __|____|__ `:. O_/ > > > messages. [vi] To engage in a pastime similar to | > ______--| \/M > > > banging one's head against a wall, but, with fewer > `-/.::::.\-' _/ \_ > > > opportunities for reward. `--------' > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
