I'm certainly not a standard software programmer. To get things straight here: if you're looking for a bunch of young quick-and-dirty Java programmers to fill up your agile teams for a project with tight deadlines and requirement of 40 hours plus availability for the next six months, you might want to look somewhere else. However, if you're looking for a dedicated programmer for a specific task, where quality is more important than agile processes, deadlines, and devops teams, you might be looking for me. Here's what I do, or what I'm best at.
Need a specific piece of self-documenting clean and well-tested code?
Communication means much. What are the exact requirements? That question might not always be easily answered beforehand. If the requirements get clearer, also the code gets clearer and can be well-tested accordingly. Good, i.e. readable, non-complex, well-tested code, requires time and dedication. Everything else leads to not-so-good code, that can never last long without having a bad influence on the people involved.
Whether 'good' code is what you need, depends on your project. If it's a short-term thing with tight deadlines, you might not want to invest too much. However, if this particular piece of software should probably last five years or longer, it will most likely evolve along the way with new requirements. In that case, quality code is what you need. And this is most easily achieved by employing programmers that care, and by listening to their needs. If you're looking for such a programmer, you might have found one here.
However, you might be in the unfortunate position of being the owner of a software product of not-so-high quality, and now you've seen the light. Your current teams and managers are responsible for the mess, and you feel that a culture shift is not easily accomplished. Furthermore, they still don't have time for fixing the issue of an enormous technical debt. Then, you might want external help, someone who cleans up your project, tests it on multiple layers, or even documents it. Now, I might be the one you're looking for. It's like a worn bicycle. It will never again ride nicely, unless you take it apart, clean the parts, and rebuild it with dedication.
Need advice on code quality, clean code, technical debt, or testing, and how that affects your business?
Too many bugs can get very expensive, but that's far from all. Working with messy code takes much more effort than working with clean, readable, and well-documented projects. Increasing technical debt leads to paying more and more 'interest'. Your development teams will get slower, while bugs will pop up more often. Finally, your best developers will leave the company.
Contact me for advice, if you're interested in improving the quality of your products and projects, and being a good employer to your developers. Our first conversation will be free of charge.
Consultancy services might include:
- Analysis of your work processes, team structure, and customer relations
- Broad analysis of your code quality and detection of pitfalls
- Analysis of company culture and hierarchy
- Detailed advice based on company specific circumstances, i.e. strategy to increase software quality along with employee happiness
You're already up to 99% agile? Your autonomous teams are all using first class management tools? They've already defined a proper Definition of Done and Definition of Ready? Your managers and consultants are all qualified Product Owners or Scrum Masters? But still, your employees seem unhappy and your customer's deadlines aren't met on a regular basis? Your code might give some important answers.
Consultancy in English, German, or Dutch.
