editione1.0.1
Updated August 7, 2023Programming is naturally a detail-oriented task. Take any programming language’s syntax for example—you could have a codebase with hundreds of thousands of lines performing complex data processing, but if you misplace one semicolon or forget to close a parenthesis somewhere, your program will grind to a halt. Even worse, your logic may be flawed even though the syntax is correct, which will lead to frustrating nights trying to figure out why your program compiles but doesn’t behave the way you expect it to.
Almost every aspect of delivering software requires focusing on details—things like defining requirements, reading other people’s code, writing correct logic, implementing thorough error handling, and analyzing logs and other structured data.
As professional programmers, we’re expected to prototype solutions and write applications to solve customer pain points. But it’s not enough to focus only on the default use cases and ignore error handling or how our users interact with our programs. Good engineers try to anticipate every way in which a program can fail, and then work to put safeguards in place to prevent those scenarios from happening.
And they’re not just detailed in the code they write. They bring attention to detail throughout the software development process. They pick apart the technical requirements and clarify any ambiguity, because they know that well-defined specifications aid them when it comes time to handle edge cases in their code.
How are senior software engineers detail-oriented?
They have an ability to find gaps in the requirements and ask the right questions to fill those gaps.
They tend to be diligent about keeping their codebase clean and organized.
They read other people’s code, sometimes more than once, to understand what it’s doing. Then, they try to figure out ways in which it can fail.
They are meticulous about covering all the bases, whether it’s through test coverage, input validation, or handling edge cases. The more scenarios their code handles, the less chance it has to fail.
They know how important good documentation can be and will find time to write it, even if it’s not the most glamorous part of the job.
High-quality software requires a high attention to detail, not just in the code but in the entire software development life cycle.
It takes persistence, determination, and many years in order to perfect a craft, but in the case of Jiro Ono, a sushi chef made famous by the documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, he spent his entire life in pursuit of perfection.
Always looking to improve, Jiro worked hard every day to improve all aspects of his craft, from sourcing better ingredients, to preparing his dishes, to delighting his customers with the highest quality sushi. He was so determined to deliver the best experience possible that he fixated on every aspect of the meal, even changing the orientation of the sushi on the plate if the customer was right- or left-handed.
These small improvements compounded over the years, and Jiro’s small 10-seat restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station, Sukiyabashi Jiro, became the first sushi restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars.