Comparing XP with 'Code Complete'

Dave Hoover has written a nice article comparing the advice of 'Code Complete' with the practices of XP.

The article was written in surprise at Code Complete's author's (Steve McConnell) distaste for XP.

I think Mr. McConnell's distaste is rooted in his preference for structure, expressed as certification. He argues for professional certification of developers ala civil engineers, due to computing's growing impact on society. I respectfully disagree with this view. I do not believe certification to be a panacea for the ills of software development, based on my experiences with certification and certified people. Certification does not by itself grant the insight, conscientiousness and experience required to be a 'good' developer, nor does possessing certification guarantee that one also posesses these qualities.

I say this with great humility. Steve McConnell wrote 'Rapid Development', 'Code Complete', and 'Software Project Survival Guide', and I didn't. All three of these are among the books I most highly recommend, and are among the most useful books I've found for planning and executing software projects and code authorship. I would not discount his views lightly.

Comments

[stas kubasek]

I have to disagree with you and agree with McConnell. Though, I do not view certification as the solution to all of the problems, it is a good step in the process of elimination of the so called "software professionals."

I especially like the CSDP certification by IEEE. Not only you have to have 5 years of experience, pass the test that covers all facets of software engineering, you have to retake the test every 3 years, and in the meantime publish material, take classes, read books, etc.

Who can do it? Only the dedicated, true professionals. What's the result? Elimination of accidental programmers.

I only wish more people recognize CSDP, as it is still fairly new and unkown. (I plan to take the certification this year or next.)

Stas

[Pat Morrison]

Stas,

Thank you for your comment. I'd heard of the CSDP, but hadn't investigated it. I do think that retaking the test every three years puts it into a different league than a once-only credential. This could be argued back and forth for a long time, and no one would get better at developing software for it. I say we work to hone our craft, and see what the next decade or so of experience tells us about certified vs. non-certified developers.

I took a quick look at your blog, and it seems we think about some of the same things. I'll check in from time to time.