I just stumbled across this article on the web: The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code. I can’t believe it that it is almost 10 years old already!
Having turned around the complete software development process at my current employer during the last year most of these steps came natural to me when I though about what was necessary to create an environment where people can write effective code effectively.
Now that the daily grind has settled in a bit, things look good. Not as stellar as I imagined in the very beginnings but I guess everyone has to accept compromises. Even though I’m happy with the progress we’ve made – reading the 12 steps again brings back the feeling that although things are going well that we’re not yet at the end of this process of renewal.
I’m looking forward to the day when I can answer every single question with ‘yes’.
Every person involved in creating software, no matter if programmer, software architect or software development manager should know those 12 steps.