-----Original Message----- From: Bill Thoen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 5:57 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: MI MapBasic project estimation and planning "I have found that most small mapbasic projects are fairly easy to plan and estimate, but that the larger ones are sometimes a *lot* more difficult." ========================= Oh boy. I've spent the last 25 or so years of my career trying to figure this out. Basically, I'm a software developer that's been doing GIS part time for the past five years... First of all, the soap-box: Software Engineering is a discipline unto itself. There is a large body of work and entire degree programs devoted to it. While it is usual for small projects to be done successfully by anyone, the difficulty of projects explodes in a non-linear way with size, as Bill observed. I strongly suggest that anyone tackling a moderate to large size project (more than 10-20 pages of code, 5 to 10 screens) engage the advice of someone who is familiar with this kind of work. You'll be happier, and so will your users / client. I know this sounds like an argument for job crafts in some Union, but... "trust me". Follow this link for a wonderful summary of "Software's Ten Essentials" "Virtually every backpacker, rock climber, and recreational hiker in the Pacific Northwest is familiar with the Seattle Mountaineers' list of "Ten Essentials": extra clothing, extra food, sunglasses, knife, firestarter, first aid kit, waterproof matches, flashlight, map, and compass. The Ten Essentials are the end-product of years of hard-won experience. They are intended to help mountaineers avoid getting into trouble in the first place, and, if that doesn't work, to minimize the damage. No experienced mountaineer would go into the mountains without the Ten Essentials. Experienced software developers have also accumulated years of hard-won experience. Our software adventures often contain more uncharted paths and dangerous territory than a simple hike in the woods does, and so I propose a list of Ten Essentials for software projects. " http://www.construx.com/stevemcc/bp08.htm Having said that, here are a few of my favorite books on the topic: "Exploring Requirements, quality before design" -- Donald C. Gause & Gerald M. Weinberg Dorset House, NY 1989 "Quality Software Management" (there are four volumes) -- Gerald M. Wienberg Dorset House 1992 and following "Software Project Survival Guide" -- Steve McConnell, Microsoft Press "Rapid Development" -- Steve McConnell, Microsoft Press The McConnell books cover much of the same territory, but Rapid Development is 800 pages and the survival guide is 300. For a great bibliography, see Ed Yourdon's Web Page http://www.yourdon.com/ For some other great software engineering advice, you might consult Steve McConnell's site: Software Project Survival Guide Web Site http://www.construx.com/survivalguide Or the home page, which leads to many great things including another book list: Steve McConnell's Home Page http://www.construx.com/stevemcc Or, maybe Capers Jones site: Software Productivity Research (Capers Jones) http://www.spr.com/index.htm But wait, there's more! (Yet another great bibliography) http://www.holub.com/goodies/books.html (Also look at the rest of the site) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
