Code Complete

by Steve McConnell

Handle change requests in groups. It’s tempting to implement easy changes as ideas arise. The problem with handling changes in this way is that good changes can get lost. If you think of a simple change 25 percent of the way through the project and you’re on schedule, you’ll make the change. If you think of another simple change 50 percent of the way through the project and you’re already behind, you won’t. When you start to run out of time at the end of the project, it won’t matter that the second change is 10 times as good as the first — you won’t be in a position to make any nonessential changes. Some of the best changes can slip through the cracks merely because you thought of them later rather than sooner. A solution to this problem is to write down all ideas and suggestions, no matter how easy they would be to implement, and save them until you have time to work on them. Then, viewing them as a group, choose the ones that will be the most beneficial.