For all those not familiar with the subject, here are a minimal introduction. The Broken Window theory can explain how such small things lead to neglect a broken window of the house of the neighborhood. Based applied by the New York police on the zero-tolerance strategy, the smallest of offenses goes on and so consistently met the neglect already in their development.
What to do with software development? The following comments. When a new developer comes to an existing project and anfägt to write code, it sets the code not only as to what he thinks is right, but the existing code does not affect him, and to all other programmers. So if the existing project code in a sub-optimal state, then the effect of this shortcoming to all programmers. They gradually turned to deliver bad code, in the worst case, this can lead to a negative downward spiral. As countermeasures, there are two things. First, the code must be tidied up and do it now. Even little things in the code must be corrected will be corrected. And second, that you have to drive code review based on the zero-tolerance strategy. Using these two methods, it is possible to make grown code base for future expansion fit. Countermeasures From another perspective, without active in the field of software quality are bad software projects worse. This finding is not new, but it can be explained with the help of the Broken Window theory and thus know all the responses.
