Systems.R.Us

Have you ever been handled over an abandoned system where you have no idea of it and asked to maintain or complete it?

Lately, there were several uncomplete systems that landed on my lap for assessment. I was told to give guestimates on how long it will take to make them fully functional and fully compliant to the customers' requirements. Being a sceptic, I demanded to look at the source codes before I start plucking numbers from the sky.

For the first system, I must say that the developers have done a great job for designing and producing such a system where with one look, it will keep you motivated (and curious) in building it. However, like all traditional systems, code documentation was insufficient and the English in the documentation was really a challenge. To pose a greater challenge, the system will need to be delivered in Bahasa Malaysia and it really drives me up the wall trying to map the codes and specifications back-and-forth from English to Malay.

The second system was simple but a pain. The logic was terrible, the databases were scattered and the bugs were burried deep. Documentation is non-existence and problems were aplenty. If you want my comments, I will say it is total rubbish! But there is nothing that we can do now as the project is nearing its end and we cannot afford a rebuild. So me and my new found colleagues have to dig in and excavate the carcasses. I'm sure most of us are at a total loss and frustrations are slowly building within us.

I'm sure many of you have experienced this as well. How did you handle it? Where do you begin and what strategies do you employ to make it work? Please feel free to share.