The other day I read a blog post/article that outlines the software development process that was emphasizing the key steps such as, requirement analysis, planning, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. The post goes deeper into each step and also gives you tips on the steps. It also highlights the significance of clear goals and choosing the right development methodologies, and ongoing quality assurances. I selected this blog/article because this was something we talked about in class the other day and it looked interesting to read about. Not knowing that there was way more to the software development process than those steps that have to be taken. In the article there are some things that I found very interesting in the reading, talking about how they cant stress enough that team collaboration and adaptability should be changing throughout the project’s process/lifecycle. Another thing that also had me interested was it talks about the maintenance cycle but it goes deeper and talks about 4 different types of maintenance like corrective maintenance, preventative maintenance, perfective maintenance, adaptive maintenance. Honestly it resonated with me because I thought it was interesting and it made me think about how in the future when I got to the maintenance part of my projects that I’m going to look closely at the type of maintenance I’m going to need at that moment. In the future, I’ll try to foster better team collaboration and remain open to change, which will also improve the overall quality of my work. By applying the insights from this article, I feel more equipped to navigate the complexities of software development, from initial planning to long-term maintenance and enhancement. The post also caused me to reconsider testing’s function—not just as a one-time event, but as a continuous, vital part of the entire process. The long-term viability and dependability of the software are guaranteed by continuous testing. I intend to adopt this repeated testing and feedback mentality going forward because it is important for lowering errors and raising overall quality. Additionally, the emphasis on teamwork and open communication brought attention to the importance of these qualities, which I think will be crucial to the success of any project I work on. I also came to understand that, compared to just going on to the next phase, each one offers a chance to make improvements to the final product. By putting these ideas into practice, I will be able to improve my results going forward and maintain my ability to adapt and provide answers that are consistently of the best possible quality.

https://relevant.software/blog/software-development-process/

From the blog CS@Worcester – A Bostonians Blogs by Abdulhafeedh Sotunbo and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week I have taken a look at Bob Ducharme, a senior technical writer at Ontotext, a company that produces data management software, and his personal blog. In this entry, Ducharme details various points surrounding the importance of documentation standards, or guidelines for efficient documentation, and provides a brief dive into documenting Application Programming Interfaces. His main stance on documentation is that it should always align with the specific company’s product vision, this is to ensure that user ease is prioritized especially when it comes to understanding a product, as good documentation can be a great form of marketing. Ducharme then provides tools and tips for documentation, Jupyter Notebook is recommended as well as keeping things short, readable, and proportional, especially code samples. He also warns to avoid documentation presented in multiple top-level sections. This is a common practice amongst companies nowadays but it makes for a more difficult navigation experience for users. Ducharme then went on to write about the documentation of APIs. His top points were that documentation is critical when working with some programming languages due to their functions and libraries that lend insight into a product’s internal workings. He provides more advice for documentation tools as he recommends Swagger, Sphinx, Pydoc, and Doxygen because they can take the comments found in the code and turn them into formatted documentation with the aid of a tech writer clarifying the necessary parameters needed for documentation standards to be met. 

I selected this particular post for many reasons, the first and main reason being that I always appreciate when an author creates a sense of personalness. I find a piece more readable and attention-grasping when it avoids a strict formal tone and has a story-like quality. Ducharme even included a hand-drawn diagram that really added that personal touch. To add to the readability factor, Ducharme formatted his post into bulleted sections, breaking things up more concisely and providing an easier and more engaging read. I also could immediately trust the information I was reading as within the first paragraph Ducharme lies down a line of credibility by mentioning he is an accredited enough figure that he has been asked to be interviewed on podcasts to speak on this specific topic. He is also a senior writer in the field, providing his own experiences from his career. Another huge factor is all of the great advice provided about proper documentation standards and the inclusion of different resources to reach efficient documentation.

I feel Ducharme supplied really important advice on documentation standards that I will take with me into the future and apply myself. I have clear sense of what makes efficient documentation and that complex sectioning is not always necessary and keeping things user-orientated, thus simple and readable is the route to go. Ducharme gave a very thorough description of documenting API, allowing his expertise on that topic to shine through. His explanation was very educational and I definitely see myself using Swagger, Sphinx, Pydoc, or Doxygen for assistance in formatting comments properly. Also in future practice in my career space if working as a developer I will know how to properly work with tech writers who are trying to achieve documentation standards. For example, when providing a type of parameter I will be sure to indicate what the typical high and low values will be and the effects they will have so the tech writer can make the necessary correct alterations. Overall, if looking for a refreshing insight into achieving documentation standards with the inclusion of the best formatting standards and helpful tools to achieve them I would highly recommend giving Bob Ducharme’s blog a read ( https://www.bobdc.com/blog/techwritingadvice/ ).

From the blog CS@Worcester – CS Journal by Alivia Glynn and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.