On Software as Craft

As a Software Crafter, I perceive software development as an art, emphasizing dynamic, quality-centric practices to enhance the value of our digital creations.

As A Craft  

As a self-proclaimed “Software Crafter”, I view the creation of software as an intricate art form, rather than a routine task akin to plumbing or factory work. This is not to belittle these professions, which are labor-intensive and require mastery of complicated processes, but to highlight the unique complexity inherent in software development.

Quality Code  

Unlike tangible products that can be replicated precisely, quality software development is a dynamic process, requiring the right actions at the right time to produce efficient, bug-free, and extensible code. This process often involves practices from the Extreme Programming framework, such as Test-Driven Development, Paired-Programming, and close interaction with stakeholders and users.

As my colleague Quinn Gil  aptly states in his post “ As a Software Engineer  ”, our role as software engineers is to maintain and increase the value of the digital assets we’re responsible for. This responsibility necessitates a continuous pursuit of quality, where refactoring and testing are as crucial as writing ‘production’ code. A project is only ‘done’ when it has been thoroughly tested and refined to meet quality standards.