When a specification requires copying an existing file, a developer must start with that file. Creating a new file from scratch, even if it seems easier, wastes time. It also removes valuable design work already in the existing file.
By Pawan Nayar · from the LLOS AI Learning record
When a specification requires copying an existing file, a developer must start with that file.
Creating a new file from scratch, even if it seems easier, wastes time. It also removes valuable design work already in the existing file.
A specification often tells a developer to copy an existing file. The developer should open that file first. Then, the developer can make changes to it. Starting a new file from nothing seems faster. However, it costs the user many hours of work. Existing files already have good user experience design. New files do not have this design built in.
A developer receives a task to create a new web page. The instructions say, 'copy the layout from the main product page.' The developer decides to build the page from scratch. This choice means the developer must recreate all the design elements. These elements were already perfect in the main product page. The developer wastes hours of work. The new page also lacks the refined user experience of the original.
Resolved from this lesson's own record — real definitions, not invented for this page.
More from the same record, pulled by shared topic — not written new for this page.
A project's current status lists all completed work. It details the number of files and their features.
A big content project takes many weeks. A developer should first test the new template.
A developer should run all parts of an approved plan one after another. Do not ask for approval between each small step.
Without a central plan, different parts of the software are built in different ways. This leads to many small problems that add up.
When a specification requires copying an existing file, a developer must start with that file. Creating a new file from scratch, even if it seems easier, wastes time. It also removes valuable design work already in the existing file.