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Written by Henrik Jernevad on 2024-10-29 at 06:50

New blog post: Zero support policy (the right way)

I like to treat every support issue as bug. As an indication that there is something in my product, documentation, or process that is broken. Otherwise there wouldn’t have been a support issue in the first place.

Is it an impossible goal? Sure. But aiming for it drives real improvement.

https://henko.net/blog/zero-support-policy/

[#]programming #softwaredevelopment #support

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Written by glyn on 2024-10-29 at 07:29

@henrikjernevad That approach makes a lot of sense for a codebase in reasonable shape. The cost of handling a support issue is high, so going the extra mile is worth it if it reduces further support issues.

Even for a buggy codebase -- you know, the kind you inherit from others 😉 -- it makes sense to improve diagnostics, documentation, etc., even if it's much too risky/costly to fix every issue.

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Written by Henrik Jernevad on 2024-10-29 at 07:52

@underlap I agree. Most "zero policies" become increasingly difficult as scale goes up. (Maybe that is a good reason to keep scale down? 🙃) But even in inherited large code bases, a light "zero policy" can be a way to "bite the bullet" and start improving the system. Personally, I don't mind working with legacy code as long as I am allowed to meaningfully improve it.

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Written by Henrik Jernevad on 2024-10-29 at 07:53

@underlap Meta: I try to keep posts balanced and avoid dogma, but I think in some cases the message may get lost if you add all ifs and buts. But it makes for good follow-up conversation. 😁

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Written by glyn on 2024-10-29 at 08:35

@henrikjernevad Absolutely!

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Written by glyn on 2024-10-29 at 08:39

@henrikjernevad Agreed. I had in mind the IBM CICS (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CICS) codebase prior to the major restructure project I was involved in. Support issues -- and there were LOTS -- helped guide the restructure project.

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Written by Henrik Jernevad on 2024-10-29 at 13:07

@underlap Yes, I can image such a system is a bit of a beast to manage. 😁

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