Thursday, December 11, 2014

Pragmatic "Software Craftsmanship"

Not all of us in IT are programmers, nor do all of us write code, but I believe the principles which are embodied by "Software Craftsmanship" may be applied to a larger audience in IT. 

I am aware that there is a manifesto called "Software Craftsmanship", and I will state for the record, that while I believe in the principles of that manifesto, I have not bought into it "as is", and I feel that certain phrases could be improved upon.

 Regardless, I do believe that technology work should be treated as a craft, and as we provide technological solutions and systems to our customers and clients, we need to keep in mind "well-crafted solutions".

 It has been commented that with "Software Craftsmanship" it is easy to devolve into egotistic "my way is better than yours" thinking. In order to counter that, the key point to remember is that our products and solutions are designed and crafted not for ourselves, but for our consumers, who will ultimately be the beneficiaries of our expertise.

I would recommend further reading and research into the subject by anyone interested. This will give a more complete picture of the concept and assist in forming a more pragmatic approach, unique to each practitioner, as our individual experiences and philosophies will undoubtedly be varied.