Maintenance vs New Design

My previous post made reference once again to the human interface design of an application and application speed considerations. As a follow-up to that post, I find myself thinking once again about a few of the issues which I have previously posted about code maintenance and new design. “Software Quality and Maintainability” was one of my earlier posts which may be of interest.

The topic of maintenance vs re-design once again (as with so many of my topics) has been prompted as the result of fresh experiences with my clients. My earlier post made reference to factors beyond the programming considerations which might otherwise be no problem, such as hardware or O/S issues. The current issue I’m dealing with however is really a useability issue. The client needs have changed so much that another maintenance band-aid to the existing program just isn’t appropriate. It is past time for updating - new design is the only logical option.

There is of course the shrinking budget — and that is an issue for this client at this time whether they were to decide to buy off-the-shelf or build. Perhaps this is a time for them to ignore? I think not! Their need is there, the budget isn’t. This is where they should be making plans for the future. They’re still working with what they have, and, inefficient though it is, they are getting by. However, by using this time for planning future IT infrastructure improvements they will be well served and perhaps be able to establish a method where their investment can be “piece mealed” and thus keep moving forward.