How to improve your dev team's Joel Test score? [closed]

Question

Joel Test is a good and famous list checking some requisites every software company should concern about.

They are:

1. Do you use source control?
2. Can you make a build in one step?
3. Do you make daily builds?
4. Do you have a bug database?
5. Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
6. Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
7. Do you have a spec?
8. Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
9. Do you use the best tools money can buy?
10. Do you have testers?
11. Do new candidates write code during their interview?
12. Do you do hallway usability testing?

My current company hits 0 (I said ZERO) points when I arrived there some month ago. Now we 'proudly' hits 3 - source control, one step build and daily builds. But I'm trying to do more (bug database, wiki, quiet conditions, better interviews...)!

What about your company? How many hits? List what you will do to achive more!

Answer 1

My current project: 1 Y, 2 N, 3 N, 4 Y, 5 N, 6 N, 7 N, 8 N, 9 N, 10 Y, 11 N, 12 N
Total score: 3

Guess what, it sucks. The dev team has been pushing hard for 2, 3, and 5, but it never quite gets approved by management. The operational software is so buggy that hack fixes take all the time and no one is allowed to do these "low priority" type activities.

A funny thing is that this project is in a CMMI level 5 company. Goes to show what that is worth.

Answer 2

• Do you use source control?

Of course, I simply cannot understand how companies cannot see the necessity for a decent source control system. We're using SVN. Total: 1 point.

• Can you make a build in one step?

Our build process takes at least 5 steps and although we discussed a lot of times ways to make the magical 1-step-build happen, we did not find the time to implement that scenario yet. Total: 1 point.

• Do you make daily builds?

Yes. As stated before, they're not created automatically, but we have daily builds incorporated into a code-review step we do every day. Total: 2 points.

• Do you have a bug database?

Yes, Mantis is used by our company for this purpose. Total: 3 points.

• Do you fix bugs before writing new code?

Unfortunately not. New features seem to be more important than bugfixes. Up until the time, when they definately need to be fixed. Which is often way too late. Total: 3 points.

• Do you have an up-to-date schedule?

We update the schedule all the time, using burndown-charts to estimate the time we're finished. Total: 4 points.

• Do you have a spec?

We have some specs, but I wouldn't call our projects spec-complete. There is much room for improvements here at our company. Total: 4 points.

• Do programmers have quiet working conditions?

Yes, our company building resides in a quiet neighbourhood, with no more than 2 or 3 developers in the same room. Total: 5 points.

• Do you use the best tools money can buy?

Nope. Total: 5 points.

• Do you have testers?

We have only recently implemented an entire QA-department consisting of three testers. Total: 6 points.

• Do new candidates write code during their interview?

We do not have too much fluctuation in our team, but the interviews contains a couple of coding-relevant questions where the candidates have to write some sample classes etc. Total: 7 points.

• Do you do hallway usability testing?

No, sadly not, but it's a great idea. Total: 7 points

All-in-all I think there's a lot of room for improvement, but 7 points might not be the worst score compared to other companies we're working with.