RE: Programing requirements - Guidelines - Code Revision and External Programmers - Am I wrong

Birgitta,

As someone who spent six years as a contract programmer I second the comments of Booth, Buck, and others from that field. The work should be done to your specifications, including following shop standards.

Also, having just finished a nine month stint managing a group of off-shore developers I can say you definitely have the right, and I would probably say obligation, to 'snoop' through the code. Think of it as inspecting a product. This is something I did on a routine basis for the exact reasons you are describing. Our off-shore group is pretty junior and this helped them to improve their skills too.

It was hard at times not to reject working code that wasn't up to standards but I got over it. That was part of learning to lead/manage people for me and helped me develop my 'soft' skills.

You are definitely correct. Stick to it and good luck working it out.

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-
bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Birgitta Hauser
Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2013 12:21 AM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: Programing requirements - Guidelines - Code Revision and External
Programmers - Am I wrong

Do not want to start a never ending discussions but only get a few opinions.

We got a new external programmer who did the first enhancements.

Before he started he got a couple of programming guidelines (only a few
ones around 10), among them:
1. New exported functions and procedures always start with the application
label (XX_) 2. All new functions and procedures have to be documented and
need a header like it is generated with RDp containing, Procedure Name,
Purpose, Parameter Description 3. Prototypes for exported procedures must
be copied into a different member (with the same name as the source
member but a specific prefix) 4. If parameters must be added to existing
functions/procedures they have to be documented within the header and
have to be defined as optional parameters with OPTIONS(*NoPass).
5. Return values or output parameters or escape messages that indicate
errors have to be handle after the procedure's call.
6. (Reference) Data structures that located in copy members and are used in
almost all of our sources should not be enhanced (at least new sub-fields
should not be included between the existing sub-fields). If an enhancement
is necessary a complete compilation of all modules, programs, service
programs have to be performed.

What happened: The programmer finished his work:
1. New exported procedures were generated but without label prefix 2.
There is no documentation at all, not even a single row before the starting P-
statement 3. The prototype is hardcoded within the source where the
procedure is coded.
4. To several existing procedures a new required (not optional) parameter
was added and not documented 5. No return value is checked (according to
the programmer it is not
necessary)
6. A data structure that is included in almost all our sources (in multiple
applications) was enhanced, but no compilation started

I rejected the enhancements because they do not conform to the guidelines.
The comment of the programmer was: it works and why I should not
snooping through his sources. He could not understand why I'm trying to play
the boss. If I think I can it better I should do it myself.

Am I really wrong insisting in the programming guidelines are followed?
IMHO "working" is not all, also the source code must be documented and
conform the guidelines.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

Birgitta Hauser

"Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (Les
Brown)
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." (Derek Bok) "What is
worse than training your staff and losing them? Not training them and
keeping them!"

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