Cowboy coding: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:55, 27 May 2007

Revision as of 16:04, 5 June 2007

Line 2:

'''Cowboy coding''' is a form of [[software development]] method without an actual defined method – team members do whatever they feel is right. Typical cowboy coding will involve no initial definition of the purpose or scope of the project, no formal description of the project, and will often involve one programmer. It is characterised by a single programmer jumping into the writing of the software often working from his own idea of what the software should do. It is often characterised by a lack of any documentation for either the requirements of the project or the design of the software overall.

As with all methodologies, the skill and experience of the user(s)developer define the degree of success and/or abuse of such activity. Controls and/or checks and balances systematically embedded within a process offer stronger levels of accountability offor the user(s)developer.

Both lightweight and heavy weighted methodologies of today still lead to this breakdown as the user(s)developer attempts to operate within social/political environments within organizations. The probability of this breakdown can be directly correlated to the degree of processes inhibiting the user(s)developer from deviating from the organization standard, however at the potential cost of efficiency.

'''Advantages:'''