The document outlines several "thumb rules" or best practices for software development proposed by Nitin Bhide. The rules include observing customers to understand their needs and pain points, ensuring software is easy to use and mistake-proof, prioritizing simplicity, avoiding unnecessary features, and allowing transparency into the development process. Bhide emphasizes the importance of passion in developing high-quality software according to these principles.

1. Thinking Craftsman’s
Thumb Rules for
Common Sense
Software Development
Nitin Bhide
http://thinkingcraftsman.in

2. The Thumb Rules
Observe and Understand your customer
Make it Goof Proof
First, Do no Harm
Add Great Extras
Beware of Feature Creep
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(C) Nitin Bhide
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3. The Thumb Rules …
Strive for SIMPLICITY
Have a Backstage Pass
Common Practice is NOT ALWAYS Common
Sense
The Passion Factor - I will not Ship Shit
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4. Acknowledgement

These ‘Thumb Rules’ my adaptation of
David Kelly’s Art of Innovation applied
to Software Development.
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5. OBSERVE AND
UNDERSTAND YOUR
CUSTOMER
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6. Find out who is your customer.

If you are developing a product, End
User is your customer

If you are developing a
library, Application Developer is your
customer
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7. Understand the your customers
needs
Understand the your customers needs
and not just expectations
 Customer may have unreasonable
expectations but his needs are real.
 Needs and expectations can be totally
different.
 Once you understand the need, you can
give satisfactory solutions

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8. What are the current pain areas ?

Observe how customer is using an
existing application

What are the current pain areas ?
◦ Is Performance a problem ?
◦ Is user interface /API a problem
(cryptic, confusing, too many alternatives)?
◦ Is he trying to fit rectangular peg in round
hole ?
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9. MAKE IT GOOF PROOF
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10. Make it Goof Proof

Remember that your Customer is Human.
◦ Hence he is bound to make mistakes at times.
◦ If you make sure that mistakes are caught
early, you are making him productive.

Don’t violate commonly accepted
conventions.
◦ E.g.. Don't put File Button at the end of Menu bar.
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11. Examples of ‘Make it Goof Proof’
◦ Application Developers
 Undo,
 Error messages/recovery,
 AutoSave features
◦ Library Developers :
 Use assertions
 Give attention to error handling
 Provide logging and support for easier
debugging
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12. FIRST, DO NO HARM
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13. First, Do No Harm

Doctors principle applied to Software

Take the pain/struggle/frustration out
of your product, you will WIN over the
customer.

Ensure that customer doesn't loose his
data under any circumstances.
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14. Examples
Clearly separate Inputs and Outputs for
functions.
 Avoid using same variable for input and
output
 If using same variable, do not change it
unless your function is successful.
 In C++, Use ‘const functions’ and ‘const
variables’.

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15. ADD GREAT EXTRAS
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16. Add Great Extras

At times, ‘Adding a Great Extra’ may
make or break a product.
◦ The Extra can be someone else’s product
added to your mix.
◦ The Extra can be something you have
developed.
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17. Examples
Visual C++ is popular not because the
Compiler is best, but because IDE easier to
use.
 Support for multiple CAD file formats for
CAD Application.
 Add Support for writing Addins to the
application
 Giving a Installer/Uninstaller rather than
‘installation instructions sheet’.

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18. Examples
Support to multiple compilers to your library
 Using a third party library (Geometry
Kernel, Standard Template Library etc).

◦ E.g. ‘This library is available on ACIS or Parasolid’ –
Great. Customer’s efforts/cost/development time
are reduced.
Adding a Debugging support.
 Making Sources available (for free or for fee)

◦ Source availability is a ‘Great Extra’ for all Open
Source software
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19. BEWARE OF FEATURE
CREEP
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20. Beware of Feature Creep

Adding unnecessary bells & whistles
complicates software
◦ It will make it difficult to design and implement.

If your users are struggling with manual
trying to find how to do a common task,
something is wrong with the product.

Simplicity is Essential.
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21. Beware of Feature Creep

Challenge every feature.
◦ For every feature, ask
‘why?, why?, why?’

Chuck out preconceptions of ‘how
complex’ something needs to be ?
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22. Beware of Feature Creep

Spend more time driving your own product.
◦ Try ‘driving’ them as if you are trying them for the
first time.
◦ Understand which features are ‘necessary’ and
which are not
◦ You are having problems using the software
definitely your users will have problems
◦ If you don’t like Unit Testing your
product, mostly likely your users won’t like to
test it either
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23. STRIVE FOR SIMPLICITY
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24. One click is Simple Than Two

Make your product Faster and Simpler to use
then it has a better chance of success.

Don’t let Cloud of features Blur the most
common use of your product.

Target for average common user and have
advanced features available for experts.
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25. Strive for SIMPLICITY
In Architecture Design,
 In Coding
 In API Design
 In User Interface
 In Documentation

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26. Examples

Amazon.com – Its simple one click ordering
process is a major of factor to make is popular

Pop Up /Context Sensitive Menu – Most
needed tasks are available on single click on
‘third button’.

Drag/Drop File Open
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27. Examples

Visual Installers rather than install
scripts/documents.
◦ InstallShield and Wise created a Industry around a
simple user need.

Give a simple basic API and separately give
advanced API.

Maintain the consistency of API.
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28. HAVE A BACKSTAGE PASS
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29. Have a Backstage Pass

Give your customer a view of what is
happening behind the scene.

This gives them a sense of security.

Also provides them a view of what will
work and what won’t work.
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30. Examples

Facility to provide detailed logs from the
application or library

Details of implemented/used algorithms

Document format of the support files

A Progress Bar is a classic example of ‘a
backstage pass’
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31. COMMON PRACTICE IS
NOT ALWAYS COMMON
SENSE
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32. Common Practice is NOT
ALWAYS Common Sense

Yesterdays Common Sense typically becomes
today’s Common Practice

Common Practices doesn't necessarily mean
its Common Sense in Today’s circumstances
and context

Following Common Practice WITHOUT
Understanding the Context is a recipe for
disaster
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33. Classic Example

‘For Portable code, Don’t use templates
or STL’
◦ Common Sense 10 years back
◦ Common Practice Today (not a Common
Sense Any More)
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34. Classic Example

Circumstances 10 years back.
◦ C++ Compiler on most of Unix platforms did not
support templates or STL
◦ Templates and STL are NOT part of C++ standard.
◦ Inconsistencies between different
implementations of templates and STL

Hence, Don’t Use STL is a Common
Sense 10 years back.
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35. Classic Example

Circumstances Today
◦ Templates and STL are Part of C++ Standard
◦ All compilers support templates and STL
◦ Still few inconsistencies in template
implementation on different platforms

The Common Sense Today–
Use STL and Carefully use Templates
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36. Other Examples of ‘Common
Practices’

“Starting a new Project ?”
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

“Use COM”
“Use ActiveX”
“Use Java”
“Use XML”
“Use Web Services”
“Use RUP”
“Use UML”
The Latest “Use Agile”
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37. PASSION FACTOR
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38. The Passion Factor

All the above Thumb rules are useless if there
is NO PASSION.

Passion Fuels the Fire

‘Passion for work’, ‘Passion for Quality’ are
prerequisite to make sure that all other
Thumb Rules happen.
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39. The Passion Factor

For A Passionate Team, Nothing is
Impossible.

Passionate Teams need ‘a tangible goal’.
Something to shoot for and Be Proud Of.

Passionate Teams need ‘Recognition’ of the
efforts to sustain and fuel the ‘passion’
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40. The Passion Factor
Only a Passionate Leader
can
Nurture and Sustain
a Passionate Team
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41. References

Art of Innovation – Tom Kelly
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