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TTI has a customer who was keeping track of some history information. They prototyped it at 1,000 records. The data file is currently 800,000 blocks in size. Now the analysis takes longer than they can have the file in a stable position to DO the analysis. So, they have to schedule a month in advance when they want to do the analysis, and they have very unhappy users.
TTI looks for programmers who like to stay in front of the screen all day long. Look for a sense of humor because things always break! "What do you like doing the most in your life?"
All of TTI programmers use a prototyping tool that is strong enough so that the end result can also be done with a prototyping tool. They don't have to scratch all the code and go into COBOL).
Documentation is a critical phase. At TTI, we require documentation to be on-going with the project. This documentation is for the end user. We have always had a full-time technical documentor who enjoys documentation. Programmers do NOT like documentation; therefore they don't do a good job. You need to hire someone who LOVES documenting.
Programmers will send you electronic mail messages saying "still working on the accounts receivable system and there were problems that I will work on tomorrow." A documentor will say, "today I did these GLORIOUS things"---and go on for screens and screens. That is a good documentor---someone who really enjoys the written word and enjoys doing all the revisions.
It is STRONGLY recommended that a company have a full-time position for a documentor. There are tons of things to document---things that programmers are doing when no one really knows what is going on.
Just because prototyping tools can be developed that have data dictionaries, this is not a substitute for documentation. Documentation is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
End users can actually do a lot of their prototyping. They might develop some of their own screens and reports and ask the programmer to make them work. This is after they have been trained so that they know that what they have done is not the same as the final project. But, they are not actually programmers. It's not part of their job title. It's great for reports---inquiries and other NON-destructive tasks and functions. You don't want them working on the PURGE routine, for instance!
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