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July 5, 2019June 29, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

The Feature Creep Anti-Pattern

Feature creep is one of the most prevalent anti-patterns in my experience. I personally find it a recurring challenge to avoid. The issue is that we can always find features that are nice to have with our solution. That makes them very attractive to tack on to our release or version. There is also a limit to what can be called feature creep. Let’s look a little deeper into this one. Defining the Feature Creep Anti-Pattern Scope creep is incredibly common as an anti-pattern, and Wikipedia gives a helpful, concise definition. [Click Here to See The Page] “Feature creep is the excessive ongoing expansion or addition of new features in a product,[1] especially in computer software, videogames and consumer and business electronics. These extra features go beyond the... Read more

July 3, 2019June 29, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

The Magic Strings Anti-Pattern

The magic strings anti-pattern implies a much more entertaining experience than it is. This coding style is not rare. Thus, it is likely you have encountered it or even fallen into this trap. As always, proven design principles and best practices help. However, the reasons this is an anti-pattern are worth reviewing. Defining the Magic Strings Anti-Pattern The DevIQ definition for the magic strings anti-pattern provides an excellent discussion of the cons of this approach. [Click Here to See The Page] “Magic strings are string values that are specified directly within application code that have an impact on the application’s behavior. Frequently, such strings will end up being duplicated within the system, and since they cannot automatically be updated using... Read more

July 1, 2019June 27, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

The Death March AntiPattern

The death march anti-pattern is one of the most painful to endure. There is even a tendency to envy those involved in actual ones. This situation crushes morale and feels like it will never end. Defining the Death March Anti-Pattern This anti-patten is so common we can go to Wikipedia for a good definition. [Click Here to See The Page] “In project management, a death march is a project that the participants feel is destined to fail, or that requires a stretch of unsustainable overwork. The general feel of the project reflects that of an actual death march because project members are forced to continue the project by their superiors against their better judgment.“ I think the key here is the word “unsustainable.” There are... Read more

June 28, 2019June 16, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

Cover Your Assets – The CYA Anti-Pattern

In this episode, we cover another anti-pattern that everyone has experienced. However, the CYA approach is not often seen as something to avoid. There are downsides to the cover your assets approach that need to be seen for what they are so our use of it is tempered. Defining the Cover Your Assets Anti-Pattern The Antipatterns.com site has a short and sweet definition of this anti-pattern for us. [Click Here to See The Page] “Document driven software processes often employ authors who list alternatives instead of making decisions.“ This definition provides us something close to analysis paralysis but from a different starting point. There are many reasons why we stumble into this anti-pattern. It can be to provide plenty of... Read more

June 26, 2019July 6, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

Intellectual Violence – A Short-Sighted Anti-Pattern

This anti-pattern implies a heavier hand than is common. While the intellectual violence anti-pattern sounds shocking and over-the-top, it is common and often subtle. We have many ways of shutting down discussion or “protecting our turf” that are easy to miss. Defining the Intellectual Violence Anti-Pattern The Sourcemaking site has a good definition and discussion about this anti-pattern. They also focus on the primary issue with this anti-pattern. [Click Here to See The Page] “Intellectual Violence occurs when someone who understands a theory, technology, or buzzword uses this knowledge to intimidate others in a meeting situation. This may happen inadvertently due to the normal reticence of technical people to expose their ignorance.“ That primary issue I mentioned is that it... Read more

June 24, 2019June 15, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

Reinventing The Wheel – An Age-Old Anti-Pattern

It is hard to go through life without being warned against reinventing the wheel at some point. This recommendation is a general warning to avoid duplicating effort where possible. Thus, we have an easy to understand anti-pattern. On the other hand, we should look deeper to determine whether we are avoiding an anti-pattern. Defining the Reinventing The Wheel Anti-Pattern The DevIQ site has a simple definition and problem description that serve as an excellent basis for our discussion. [Click Here to See The Page] “It’s common for software developers and some organizations to prefer to write something they may need for a given project themselves, rather than using an available open source or commercial offering. Generally, it’s best to avoid... Read more