How to suck at developing a web app, when you’re not a web shop
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Transcript of How to suck at developing a web app, when you’re not a web shop
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Eric Light@[email protected]
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Audience Check
Developers? (Duh...)
Entrepreneurs?
Project Managers?
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Audience Check
Developers? (Duh...)
Entrepreneurs?
Project Managers?
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How to suck at developing a web app, when you’re
not a web shop.
On contracts, missed deadlines, and working with friends
Eric Light@[email protected]
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A bit about Eric
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(Apple ][e) BASIC
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A bit about Gravity
Small team (techs == Jordan & Eric)
Software development (still mostly in BASIC
omg)
IT Support, Server installs, etc.
...
Web Development conspicuously absent
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The Root of the Problem
Typical ‘technician-founded’ company› No systems.
NoneSeriously, folks!
Eric was every role› Sales, Marketing, HR, Accounts, ZOMFG,
FML
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The Inspiration
“I need you to call Geoffrey, and find out what he means by Ђξμδ.”
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Need a tracking system
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Brilliance!
Wait a minute... we’re developers!
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“Let’s build our own!”
<trumpets>
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The Plan
Develop a web app for job tracking
We were the target market
Must be simple, fast, cheap
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Implementation
Brought it to a web dev
Quoted 100hrs max(accepted reluctantly)
2 deadlines:› Prototype – 6 wks› To Market – 12 wks
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“Begin!”
<more trumpets>
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All was hopeful...
The month passed...
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Welcome to Hell
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“Each time I re-readthe scope I noticesomething new..”
“I’ve hit a bitof a snag..”
“I can’t figure out how to do this bit here...”
*crickets*
...Half way to deadline
...1 day before due
...3 days overdue
...2 weeks overdue
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The Meeting
Me, the dev, plus 2 business partners
Another month, guaranteed
def quit_date:return mid-feb
My blunder:“We’ll make these bits part of the final”
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Quick Recap
Now well overdue
Still on prototype
100 hours, max
33% due on delivery
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D-day
Not really finished
He said it was(remember: “prototype”)
Payments / Billing -> final stage
Demanded $$ for delivered prototype
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déjà vu!
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My expenses:About $6000+GST
His effective rate:
$10 per hour
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What did we do right?
Understood the problem clearly
Kept a lid on scope creep
Knew the target market
Calculated commercial viability
Defined a quit date (finally!)
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Where we went wrong
Failure to plan for failure› No milestones› No fallbacks› For either party
No prototyping
Working with a friend, sans contract
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LoremIpsum
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The Road Ahead
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Early Warning Signs
Your wife says it’s not going to work
You haven’t done a paper prototype
You don’t have a dated chart for functionality delivery dates
Professionalism slips
*crickets*
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A haiku
On a pre-planned date /if milestones aren’t yet met /inspect the darn code!
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So remember...
Plan for failure – have a graceful exit!
Set clear milestones, with CRUD.› This lets you track progress very finely!
Your dev’s estimates are wrong.› So are yours.
Hofstadter’s Law
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Communicate›CommunicateCommunicate!
Say: If I don’t enforce a term, it doesn’t change the contract, and I can still enforce it any time in the future.
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Resources
These slides are at pycon.ericlight.com› Contractor template – email me
GettingITRight.co.nz
Business Technology Resource Centre› “Avoiding Project Failure”, 2003
CIO Magazine› “Lessons in Defeat”, 2011
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Thanks
David Richardson› Additional critical brain
Jordan Schwab › learning SilverStripe to resurrect the
project Stock.XCHNG (www.sxc.hu)
› Imagery Grant Paton-Simpson & Roger Smith
› Letting me present to them
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“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make
as they fly by.”
Actual quote from my developer... As well as Douglas Adams
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Question Time!