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From: sean@castle.ed.ac.uk (S Matthews)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Personal growth and software engineering!
Message-ID: <9233@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 19 Mar 91 10:13:53 GMT
Followup-To: misc.misc
Distribution: comp.software-eng
Organization: Edinburgh University
Lines: 36

How to become a better human being and develop a more rounded (or
even perfectly spherical) personality through programming.

gwharvey@lescsse.uucp (Greg Harvey) writes:

> These statements form the rhetorical foundation for a much needed
> "quality revolution." Software QA is just one area where these belief
> statements can be applied effectively.  Zero defects is a difficult
> concept to grasp because we humans lack perfection and even have
> difficulty visualizing perfection.  Zero defects is an accountability
> method where we introspectively examine defects in order to determine
> how each occurred.  If done honestly and carefully, the person comes to
> the realization that faulty results follow faulty methods.  An honest
> person realizes, at the exact same instant, that faulty methods are not
> character flaws, but instead are opportunities for improvement!

> Simple accountability, which most people avoid (myself included!), helps
> us do our best in every life situation.  Admittedly, being responsible
> or accountable for our actions can make life uncomfortable.  Software QA
> strives to recreate the desire for "directed perfection" in the software
> creator.  It creates this desire by measuring the effectiveness, as best
> it is able, of the creators and discussing the results with them.  Its
> focus should be enhancing the creative powers of the individual through
> incremental improvement of method.

Somehow I do not think that feeling good and a `can do' attitude are enough.

Is there anyone out there who wants to suggest half an hour of
transcendental meditation before tackling the morning's coding.

Sean

Now back to my prayer mat...

Sorry about the extended quotation, but I was not sure how to edit it
down without destroying the flavour---indeed the flavor is in the size.