Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!well!berger
From: berger@well.UUCP (Robert J. Berger)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Bootstrapping a group of programmer into engineers
Keywords: transform, methods, practice
Message-ID: <15413@well.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jan 90 05:52:02 GMT
Distribution: comp
Lines: 30


I have a situation where I have inhereted a team that is made up of
programmers who call themselves software engineers. Unfortunatly they
know nothing about software engineering.  Worse is that they don't know
they don't know anything about software engineering.


Concepts of product lifecycle, design documents, schedules, testing
plans, metrics, reusablity, portability, etc are alien concepts that
have no place in their rush to write code. Software Quality methods and
concepts are of no use to them. The words sustaining and maintenance
draw blank stares.

The product they have produced reflects this mentality. It is huge in
terms of number of lines of code. Much larger than is needed to
accomplish the task.  It looks to be virtually unmaintainable as there
is absolutely no formal spec, no design documents, etc.

My question is, Does anyone know of a videotape or small easy to digest
book or article that communicates the down side of bottom up random
hacking and the up side of engineering? Something that would clearly 
demonstrate the win of planning, testing, software Quality orientations.
I am particularly interested in examples in the embedded systems realm as
opposed to the Data Processing MIS realm.

How have other people dealt with transforming a team of narrow minded 
prima donna programmers into engineers? Is it doable?


			Bob Berger