Datasheet

12
Part I: Design Strategies
Inventorying Your Tools
You’ve probably collected a host of tools while working on various applications. The problem for most
developers isn’t a lack of tools — it’s more likely too many tools. In fact, you may not even know which
tools you have available. Because the tools you use affect the language environment, it’s important to
choose the right tools. For example, you may have two design tools, but one is geared more toward
database applications and the other is geared more toward Web services. If you’re creating a database
application, then you want to use the fi rst tool.
A tool inventory should include all your available tools. You should categorize them at time of purchase
to keep application tasks in mind. However, when you begin a new project, you should also categorize
them with your development team in mind. When you have two tools that will perform equally well in
creating a particular application, then you need to choose the tool that works best with the capabilities
and skills of your development team. Of course, you’ll want to ask the team members about experiences
they’ve had with the various tools in your arsenal.
It’s easy to overlook some important issues when creating a tool inventory. The following list details
some issues you should consider while creating your inventory:
Do you have enough licenses for the tool? ❑
Are the members of your team skilled in the use of this tool? ❑
Does the tool provide everything needed for this application, or do you need to purchase add-ons ❑
for it?
Are there potential alternatives for this tool that your company can acquire? ❑
Will the tool integrate successfully with the development environment? ❑
Are any of the team members reluctant to use the tool due to a bad previous experience with it? ❑
Will it be diffi cult to fi nd replacements for a particular tool if the team member who knows how ❑
to use it leaves?
Is the tool completely up to date with patches and service packs? ❑
Gathering Your Resources
The vast majority of your programming resources come in human form. Even if you’re using an article
on the Internet as a source of information, a human wrote the article. The people on your team represent
the largest potential source of change when it comes to the language environment. In fact, you should
consider three potential levels of change to the language environment:
Language resources ❑
Skills ❑
Experiences ❑
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