Goals of Professional Programming

Very few developers sit down before the keyboard simply to string random Visual Basic statements together. Rather, there is a purpose, a goal in writing a block of code. The primary goals of professional software development have to do with meeting the needs of various individuals and groups.

Meeting the Needs of the User

All applications are developed for one or more users. Sometimes you write a quick program simply for yourself, to fulfill an immediate processing requirement. At other times you are involved in large-scale, year-long development projects that will eventually be deployed to thousands of users. In both cases, your primary goal is to meet the needs of the user of the application. If you fail to provide the software that the user needs, you fail to deliver quality software, no matter how good it looks.

Computer users have a job to do, and your application automates that job process. The ultimate design goal of an application is to have the user forget that he or she is using a computer program, and instead, simply perform the desired problem-solving task. Your program should be a natural extension of the workflow that is already part of the user's business.

Meeting the Needs of Your Employer

Unless you are working for a nonprofit agency, there is a pretty good chance your company exists in order to make a profit. This holds true for both the self-employed and the multi-billion-dollar corporation. Companies remain profitable by meeting the needs of their customers. You help fulfill both aspects of your company's mission by developing professional software applications.

Meeting your company's needs extends to your managers and coworkers as well. When you develop software in a professional manner, you help to advance the interests of all those around you.

Meeting the Programmer's Needs

Looking after your own personal and professional needs will have a beneficial impact on your software development projects. If you are unhappy with your company or colleagues, or dislike programming because you have to reinvent a methodology every time you start a new project, the quality of your work will likely suffer. However, if you receive satisfaction from your work and enjoy the process of programming high-quality Visual Basic applications, that will shine through brightly in your finished products.

Software development allows for a wonderful mix of challenge and predictability. The challenge comes from stretching your skills into new, untried areas. The predictability comes from the standards that enable you to write consistent, high-quality applications. Some of these standards exist in the syntax of Visual Basic itself. Other standards are created from your own experience, or learned from external sources such as this book. When you expand your programming range by tackling technical challenges, and you learn and apply a rigorous programming methodology, the result will be top-notch programs and applications.