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LEMON - On Drupal diseases and cures

by jhamiltoorion on Aug 02, 2011

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LEMON studies the worst Drupal disasters and advocates for the need for quality throughout a development cycle.

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LEMON studies the worst Drupal disasters and advocates for the need for quality throughout a development cycle.

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Good afternoon. Welcome to LEMON- Drupal diseases and cures. \n
My name is Jody Hamilton. Making lemonade since drupal 4.7\n\nZivtech Lead Developer, business owner, engineer, teacher, manager, quality freak\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
What is a Drupal lemon?\nA site that makes experienced drupal developers laugh and cry at the same time. Measure in WTFs per minute.\n\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
How many lemons are there?\nWhy are there so many?\nThe rise of the ‘site rescue’ job\nThis is bad for Drupal’s reputation\n\n - Lack of experts\n - new field\n - learning curve\n - Difficulty of field is underappreciated (ie you wouldn’t treat something ‘difficult’ like surgery the same way) The easiness of using drupal or basic site building also stands in confusing contrast to the difficulty of custom application development in drupal or excellent and advanced site building.\n - Rush jobs\n - Cheap jobs\n- Hard to assess Credentials\n - lack of certification\n - too complex for decision makers\n - Drupal has a completely transparent and inscrutable system for measuring dev quality\n- Drupal makes it easy to mess up (by being complex and flexible). With great power comes great need for training. Beware those who ‘know just enough to be dangerous’\n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
Let’s study this up close.\nWhat can we learn from Drupal lemons?\nI’ve been blessed with great opportunities throughout my life to learn from the worst\nPerhaps life has given me lemons\nBy studying worst practices we can desire and form best practices\nA lemon is always rushed and/or foolishly designed. On the cellular level it is starved for quality. The deeper you look the more you see problems.\nQuality means meeting professional standards throughout the process, not meeting specs by the end. Quality is holistic, is a mindset.\nBefore coming to the web I worked mainly in quality control, as a chemist. In pharmaceutical development quality control is taken extremely seriously, obviously its regulated by the FDA. They work to standards of quality at every stage in the process and the QC people are highly trained scientists. In software development quality control is often just testing the end result, sometimes outsourced. If time or budget gets short it can get skipped entirely. \n
the ''slingshotter,'' the ''adventurer,'' the ''marshmallow,'' the ''nomad'' and the ''weaver''\nUsability Lemon (developers who do not develop for usability are not web developers, much as designers who do not work in HTML/CSS are not web designers)\nInfested Lemon (bug-laden)\nFanboy Lemon (lots of junky contrib modules)\nDesperado Lemon (PHP dev wrote lots of custom code instead of using key modules)\n\n
the ''slingshotter,'' the ''adventurer,'' the ''marshmallow,'' the ''nomad'' and the ''weaver''\nUsability Lemon (developers who do not develop for usability are not web developers, much as designers who do not work in HTML/CSS are not web designers)\nInfested Lemon (bug-laden)\nFanboy Lemon (lots of junky contrib modules)\nDesperado Lemon (PHP dev wrote lots of custom code instead of using key modules)\n\n
the ''slingshotter,'' the ''adventurer,'' the ''marshmallow,'' the ''nomad'' and the ''weaver''\nUsability Lemon (developers who do not develop for usability are not web developers, much as designers who do not work in HTML/CSS are not web designers)\nInfested Lemon (bug-laden)\nFanboy Lemon (lots of junky contrib modules)\nDesperado Lemon (PHP dev wrote lots of custom code instead of using key modules)\n\n
the ''slingshotter,'' the ''adventurer,'' the ''marshmallow,'' the ''nomad'' and the ''weaver''\nUsability Lemon (developers who do not develop for usability are not web developers, much as designers who do not work in HTML/CSS are not web designers)\nInfested Lemon (bug-laden)\nFanboy Lemon (lots of junky contrib modules)\nDesperado Lemon (PHP dev wrote lots of custom code instead of using key modules)\n\n
the ''slingshotter,'' the ''adventurer,'' the ''marshmallow,'' the ''nomad'' and the ''weaver''\nUsability Lemon (developers who do not develop for usability are not web developers, much as designers who do not work in HTML/CSS are not web designers)\nInfested Lemon (bug-laden)\nFanboy Lemon (lots of junky contrib modules)\nDesperado Lemon (PHP dev wrote lots of custom code instead of using key modules)\n\n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Symptoms can be misleading. They could come from any or multiple layers of the stack\n \n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Warning signs...\n\nIgnoring the chain of command:\n inappropriate use of JS or CSS to deal with markup or logic-level problems (this indicates short-sighted or critically under-experienced web developers)\n the last two indicate developers who either don’t know Drupal well or don’t respect the integrity of the CMS or do not care about the future of the site (fixed budget/fixed specs much?)\n \n\n
Not every problem site is a lemon\n\nStaff usability (need a manual?!) problems are a bigger indication than public usability (closer to the structural)\n\nProblems that are mainly coming from CSS, JS, or server-side can cause bad symptoms but are easier to isolate and fix\n\nProblems may be coming from mostly just one place: a bad module for example\n\nA true lemon will have deep structural problems that have infected the code, configuration and content\n
Not every problem site is a lemon\n\nStaff usability (need a manual?!) problems are a bigger indication than public usability (closer to the structural)\n\nProblems that are mainly coming from CSS, JS, or server-side can cause bad symptoms but are easier to isolate and fix\n\nProblems may be coming from mostly just one place: a bad module for example\n\nA true lemon will have deep structural problems that have infected the code, configuration and content\n
Not every problem site is a lemon\n\nStaff usability (need a manual?!) problems are a bigger indication than public usability (closer to the structural)\n\nProblems that are mainly coming from CSS, JS, or server-side can cause bad symptoms but are easier to isolate and fix\n\nProblems may be coming from mostly just one place: a bad module for example\n\nA true lemon will have deep structural problems that have infected the code, configuration and content\n
Not every problem site is a lemon\n\nStaff usability (need a manual?!) problems are a bigger indication than public usability (closer to the structural)\n\nProblems that are mainly coming from CSS, JS, or server-side can cause bad symptoms but are easier to isolate and fix\n\nProblems may be coming from mostly just one place: a bad module for example\n\nA true lemon will have deep structural problems that have infected the code, configuration and content\n
Not every problem site is a lemon\n\nStaff usability (need a manual?!) problems are a bigger indication than public usability (closer to the structural)\n\nProblems that are mainly coming from CSS, JS, or server-side can cause bad symptoms but are easier to isolate and fix\n\nProblems may be coming from mostly just one place: a bad module for example\n\nA true lemon will have deep structural problems that have infected the code, configuration and content\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
Indicators and contraindicators are easy, but coming to a conclusion can be more difficult.\nDiagnosis is not easy and cannot usually be done ‘at a glance’ (or without a contract) except in the most extreme cases\n\nLack of adherence to semantic sense\nAsk for an honest opinion about your site and the level of your devs, ie in person (i’ve often had potentially useful observations that i would not feel comfortable sharing via email, conference call, or in situations that could politically threaten my status as a consultant)\n
A site can meet spec and have no serious bugs and still be a lemon.\nStaff may feel that all sites or all drupal sites have the kinds of frustrations they have, and devs may persist that feeling of ‘normal’ problems and even villify the software.\nThe lack of ability to easily expand and change the site, enormous difficulty upgrading the site, bug regressions, the need for a staff handbook, the need for excessive end-user help text, and site slowness are warning signs of a lemon in disguise.\nOften the seriousness of the problem is never known or is not acknowledged as true if diagnosed. These organizations may take it as a matter of course that you throw out crappy sites after a few years and then build a new crappy site and not see this as a problem. Experiencing the alternative will shed light on the problem.\n
A site can meet spec and have no serious bugs and still be a lemon.\nStaff may feel that all sites or all drupal sites have the kinds of frustrations they have, and devs may persist that feeling of ‘normal’ problems and even villify the software.\nThe lack of ability to easily expand and change the site, enormous difficulty upgrading the site, bug regressions, the need for a staff handbook, the need for excessive end-user help text, and site slowness are warning signs of a lemon in disguise.\nOften the seriousness of the problem is never known or is not acknowledged as true if diagnosed. These organizations may take it as a matter of course that you throw out crappy sites after a few years and then build a new crappy site and not see this as a problem. Experiencing the alternative will shed light on the problem.\n
A site can meet spec and have no serious bugs and still be a lemon.\nStaff may feel that all sites or all drupal sites have the kinds of frustrations they have, and devs may persist that feeling of ‘normal’ problems and even villify the software.\nThe lack of ability to easily expand and change the site, enormous difficulty upgrading the site, bug regressions, the need for a staff handbook, the need for excessive end-user help text, and site slowness are warning signs of a lemon in disguise.\nOften the seriousness of the problem is never known or is not acknowledged as true if diagnosed. These organizations may take it as a matter of course that you throw out crappy sites after a few years and then build a new crappy site and not see this as a problem. Experiencing the alternative will shed light on the problem.\n
A site can meet spec and have no serious bugs and still be a lemon.\nStaff may feel that all sites or all drupal sites have the kinds of frustrations they have, and devs may persist that feeling of ‘normal’ problems and even villify the software.\nThe lack of ability to easily expand and change the site, enormous difficulty upgrading the site, bug regressions, the need for a staff handbook, the need for excessive end-user help text, and site slowness are warning signs of a lemon in disguise.\nOften the seriousness of the problem is never known or is not acknowledged as true if diagnosed. These organizations may take it as a matter of course that you throw out crappy sites after a few years and then build a new crappy site and not see this as a problem. Experiencing the alternative will shed light on the problem.\n
A site can meet spec and have no serious bugs and still be a lemon.\nStaff may feel that all sites or all drupal sites have the kinds of frustrations they have, and devs may persist that feeling of ‘normal’ problems and even villify the software.\nThe lack of ability to easily expand and change the site, enormous difficulty upgrading the site, bug regressions, the need for a staff handbook, the need for excessive end-user help text, and site slowness are warning signs of a lemon in disguise.\nOften the seriousness of the problem is never known or is not acknowledged as true if diagnosed. These organizations may take it as a matter of course that you throw out crappy sites after a few years and then build a new crappy site and not see this as a problem. Experiencing the alternative will shed light on the problem.\n
some lemons are unusual. these are the grotesque distorted results of organizational politics rather than technical failures.\nintegrating with other software in strange and difficult ways based on vendor relationships without regard for technical concerns\nan unnecessary convoluted mediawiki integration to justify previous expenses\ncomplex unnecessary video conversion/hosting system\na separate cms creates the blocks?\nyou can’t do basic drupal tasks?\nit’s drupal static?!\n
some lemons are unusual. these are the grotesque distorted results of organizational politics rather than technical failures.\nintegrating with other software in strange and difficult ways based on vendor relationships without regard for technical concerns\nan unnecessary convoluted mediawiki integration to justify previous expenses\ncomplex unnecessary video conversion/hosting system\na separate cms creates the blocks?\nyou can’t do basic drupal tasks?\nit’s drupal static?!\n
some lemons are unusual. these are the grotesque distorted results of organizational politics rather than technical failures.\nintegrating with other software in strange and difficult ways based on vendor relationships without regard for technical concerns\nan unnecessary convoluted mediawiki integration to justify previous expenses\ncomplex unnecessary video conversion/hosting system\na separate cms creates the blocks?\nyou can’t do basic drupal tasks?\nit’s drupal static?!\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
AKA birth of a lemon / how to make sure you get a lemon\nRisk Factors...\nSubcontracting\n Designers as developers\nInternal staff with little Drupal background\nNot doing your homework\nOrganic site architecting\nToo many cooks, too little chefs\nUnderpaying (if you think experts are expensive, wait until you hire an amateur)\n you get what you pay for (compare to other fields, some things you don’t want to cheap out on)\nMistaking an amateur for an expert = understandable \nTreating an expert like an amateur (ie not taking good advice you paid for) = foolish\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
An ounce of prevention...\n\nPrevention is the main point of this talk. I want you to understand what a lemon is, how hard it is to fix, and think about how to adjust your process and get the help you need (whether you’re a dev or a decision maker) to ensure you don’t create them. You may need training, a longer timeline, a consultant, less features, a change in philosophy, etc.\n\nGet good advice as early as possible. Before you write the RFP if possible! The later in the process the problems are dealt with the more expensive it will be. ‘You can hire me now... or you can hire me to fix it later...’\n\nA sterile growing environment (adequate time, staff, sleep, planning, thoughtfulness). Do you take time to think or are you rushed to put out fires? A series of crises does not make for good results, and is not an inevitable way we have to work.\n\nHiring\nAn expert lead gardener who is heeded\nVetting drupal developers (open source)\n\nContinual pest control (not wait for an infestation and then bomb the greenhouse)\n\nPeer review\n\nAn effective ticketing, development, version control systems and surrounding process\n\nThinking long term (a Drupal site should be always ready to adapt and grow with your organization and not treated as a one-time project that will probably be thrown out like the site it’s replacing)\n\n\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
Incurable / Systemic\nThe definition of a lemon (car) is that you need a replacement not another trip to the mechanic.\nWith a website you often need to at the minimum salvage parts (content, users, design), which means that you may be in a position in which the replacement may be harder (more expensive) than having done it right originally.\n\nMany lemon owners opt to throw good money after bad, perhaps to save face or for political reasons\nThe bigger lemon (is your boss the lemon??): http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodigs/89161130/\nSometimes the organizations that have the lemon sites are lemons themselves - the website project may not be the only thing that was mismanaged. Working with these clients you may find that the problem is not technical, and that any project will be doomed. This takes the fun out of the lemonade challenge (when hiring for a site rescue you’ll want to convince a potential vendor that the organization has learned from the past mistake - many good devs will avoid these projects) We have seen this kind of lemon eventually made moot when either higher ups scrap the entire project, or the organization is sold or goes under.\nThe worst offending sites rarely are granted proper treatment. Most sites that ask for a site audit are actually in pretty good shape. We’ve been brought in for training staff to use their lemon when a good site would require minimal training. Because most lemons are never cured, the most important takeaway is prevention.\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
The ‘Works’ = version upgrade plus structural overhaul, possibly including redesign or design cleanup. If this does not include a redesign or new features, it requires minimal management, client attention, or paperwork (minimizing these things will lower cost and this project can be done by folks who do not thrive on conference calls and email chains. This person needs to concentrate). It may require a hero. It is unglamorous work that will likely be underappreciated.\nSome common techniques:\nContent type simplification\nPHP format extraction\nTemplate extermination\nDatabase decrudifying\nThe cure is to delete mercilessly on all levels, not to add another layer of bandages\nThe need to save content, users, and to minimize or avoid any downtime makes the treatment difficult\n
Seeking expert advice\nWho can benefit from a site audit?\nLow budget lemons: simplify, remove features, go lean\n
Seeking expert advice\nWho can benefit from a site audit?\nLow budget lemons: simplify, remove features, go lean\n
Seeking expert advice\nWho can benefit from a site audit?\nLow budget lemons: simplify, remove features, go lean\n
Seeking expert advice\nWho can benefit from a site audit?\nLow budget lemons: simplify, remove features, go lean\n

LEMON - On Drupal diseases and cures — Presentation Transcript

LEMON... Drupal diseases and cures ... Abhijit Tembhekar via flickr
LEMON... Drupal diseases and cures ... Abhijit Tembhekar via flickr
Jody Hamilton alexslemonade.org via Message Agency ... and hundredsredlemona.de via Zivtech / of non-lemon- ThinkCursor themed Drupal sites
Deﬁnition
• A small change is always a big project Deﬁnition
• A small change is always a big project• Consistently frustrating Deﬁnition
• A small change is always a big project• Consistently frustrating• Cheaper to rebuild from scratch than to fully ﬁx Deﬁnition
• A small change is always a big project• Consistently frustrating• Cheaper to rebuild from scratch than to fully fix• Does not have the benefits of a Drupal site Definition
• A small change is always a big project• Consistently frustrating• Cheaper to rebuild from scratch than to fully fix• Does not have the benefits of a Drupal site• No future Definition
honeycut07 via flickrPrevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts • Difficulty is under-appreciated honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts • Difficulty is under-appreciated • Hard to assess credentials honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts • Difficulty is under-appreciated • Hard to assess credentials• Drupal makes it easy honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts • Difficulty is under-appreciated • Hard to assess credentials• Drupal makes it easy • to totally mess up your site honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
• Immaturity of ﬁeld • Lack of experts • Difficulty is under-appreciated • Hard to assess credentials• Drupal makes it easy • to totally mess up your site • in so many different ways honeycut07 via flickr Prevalence
Pathology
• Quality is Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach• Quality is not Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach• Quality is not • A single line item or a single project phase Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach• Quality is not • A single line item or a single project phase • Something to outsource or have interns deal with Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach• Quality is not • A single line item or a single project phase • Something to outsource or have interns deal with • An time or budget to skip if running short on optional feature Pathology
• Quality is • Meeting standards throughout the process • A holistic approach• Quality is not • A single line item or a single project phase • Something to outsource or have interns deal with • An time or budget to skip if running short on optional feature • A natural result of a ﬁxed-price/ﬁxed-scope contract Pathology
elkit via flickrForms
elkit via flickrForms
elkit via flickr• Usability Lemon Forms
elkit via flickr• Usability Lemon• Infested Lemon Forms
• Fanboy Lemon elkit via flickr• Usability Lemon• Infested Lemon Forms
• Fanboy Lemon elkit via flickr• Usability Lemon• Infested Lemon • Desperado Lemon Forms
chotda via flickrSymptoms
• Staff usability problems chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance• Security chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance• Security• Bugs chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance• Security• Bugs• Missing features chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance• Security• Bugs• Missing features• Lack of robustness / difficulty expanding chotda via flickr Symptoms
• Staff usability problems• Public usability problems• Performance• Security• Bugs• Missing features• Lack of robustness / difficulty expanding• Inability to upgrade chotda via flickr Symptoms
wiccked via flickrIndicators
• Too-many syndromes: wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red ﬂag of core) wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red ﬂag of core)• Going around the chain of command wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red ﬂag of core)• Going around the chain of command• Drupal violations: wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red ﬂag of core)• Going around the chain of command• Drupal violations: • breaking conﬁgurations wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red flag of core)• Going around the chain of command• Drupal violations: • breaking configurations • hacked files wiccked via flickr Indicators
• Too-many syndromes: • Just-another-module syndrome • Over-templation • Content-typitis • Role-mania • Block-a-modium• Lack of semantic sense• PHP format (red flag of core)• Going around the chain of command• Drupal violations: • breaking configurations • hacked files• Missing Drupal security wiccked via flickr conventions Indicators
terriem via flickrContraindicators
• Isolatable Problems: terriem via flickr Contraindicators
• Isolatable Problems: • CSS/JS bugs terriem via flickr Contraindicators
• Isolatable Problems: • CSS/JS bugs • Server performance terriem via flickr Contraindicators
• Isolatable Problems: • CSS/JS bugs • Server performance • Problems from speciﬁc modules terriem via flickr Contraindicators
Carl Black via flickrDiagnosis
• Site audit Carl Black via flickr Diagnosis
• Site audit• Emergency ﬁxes plus mini-evaluation Carl Black via flickr Diagnosis
• Site audit• Emergency ﬁxes plus mini-evaluation• Hacked! module Carl Black via flickr Diagnosis
• Site audit• Emergency ﬁxes plus mini-evaluation• Hacked! module• > 100 modules test Carl Black via flickr Diagnosis
• Site audit• Emergency ﬁxes plus mini-evaluation• Hacked! module• > 100 modules test• Ask for an honest opinion Carl Black via flickr Diagnosis
alui0000 via flickrMisdiagnosis
• Frustrations are deemed ‘normal’ alui0000 via flickr Misdiagnosis
• Frustrations are deemed ‘normal’• Software is viliﬁed alui0000 via flickr Misdiagnosis
• Frustrations are deemed ‘normal’• Software is viliﬁed• Sites are treated as disposable alui0000 via flickr Misdiagnosis
• Frustrations are deemed ‘normal’• Software is viliﬁed• Sites are treated as disposable• Experience of the alternative sheds light on the problem alui0000 via flickr Misdiagnosis
stevelewalready via flickrUnusual Mutations
• Distorted results of organizational politics stevelewalready via flickrUnusual Mutations
• Distorted results of organizational politics• Unnecessary & convoluted integrations stevelewalready via flickrUnusual Mutations
Martin LaBar via flickrEarly Stages
• Subcontracting Martin LaBar via flickr Early Stages
• Subcontracting• Use internal staff with little Drupal background Martin LaBar via flickr Early Stages
• Subcontracting• Use internal staff with little Drupal background• Too many cooks, too little chefs Martin LaBar via flickr Early Stages
• Subcontracting• Use internal staff with little Drupal background• Too many cooks, too little chefs• Underpaying Martin LaBar via flickr Early Stages
• Subcontracting• Use internal staff with little Drupal background• Too many cooks, too little chefs• Underpaying• Not taking expert advice Martin LaBar via flickr Early Stages
Chiot’s Run via flickrPrevention
• Hiring / Contracting Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
• Hiring / Contracting• Quality Assurance Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
• Hiring / Contracting• Quality Assurance • Continuous pest control Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
• Hiring / Contracting• Quality Assurance • Continuous pest control • Peer review Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
• Hiring / Contracting• Quality Assurance • Continuous pest control • Peer review • Processes for ticketing, development, VCS etc Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
• Hiring / Contracting• Quality Assurance • Continuous pest control • Peer review • Processes for ticketing, development, VCS etc• Advocate for a future-ready site Chiot’s Run via flickr Prevention
Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickrTerminal Cases
Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickrTerminal Cases
• A rebuild can cost less than a complete ﬁx Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickr Terminal Cases
• A rebuild can cost less than a complete ﬁx• A rebuild can cost more then the original build Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickr Terminal Cases
• A rebuild can cost less than a complete ﬁx• A rebuild can cost more then the original build• Most bad after organizations opt to throw good money Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickr Terminal Cases
• A rebuild can cost less than a complete ﬁx• A rebuild can cost more then the original build• Most bad after organizations opt to throw good money• Often the website is not the only lemon in an organization Manuel Barroso Parejo via flickr Terminal Cases
Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul • Content type simpliﬁcation Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul • Content type simpliﬁcation • PHP format extraction Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul • Content type simpliﬁcation • PHP format extraction • Template extermination Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul • Content type simpliﬁcation • PHP format extraction • Template extermination • Database decrudifying Treatment
• Site audit followed by cleanup• ‘The Works’ - version upgrade with structural overhaul • Content type simpliﬁcation • PHP format extraction • Template extermination • Database decrudifying • Delete, delete, delete Treatment
onkel_wart via flickrSupport
• You are not alone onkel_wart via flickr Support
• You are not alone• Seek advice from experts and community onkel_wart via flickr Support
• You are not alone• Seek advice from experts and community• Simplify onkel_wart via flickr Support

LEMON - On Drupal diseases and cures

by jhamiltoorion on Aug 02, 2011

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LEMON - On Drupal diseases and cures — Presentation Transcript