Standards and business

I have been obsessing lately about code standards. For any non-geek, this means how an application is written, what procedures should be followed.

I decided to try my hand at business again, this time utilizing my knowledge instead of going into an external field. I will develop software.

For this I have asked advice from people whose opinion I respect. My family is academic, which means that I know SHIT about commerce. I'm trying to learn, but it is an uphill struggle. I figure that as long as I don't stop moving I'll eventually rise.

But standards...

I have to set down, formally, the way in which I will want the source code written the developers I hire to build my applications. This may seem trivial... if you have never programmed. Every head is a different world, every programmer has a way to view problems and solve them.

How can you assure portable code without getting lost in paperwork? It seems like a waste of money to pay a good developer for bureaucracy, but I have seen what happens when that is not handled.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I guess I'll just follow my usual strategy when faced with an unknown situation. Find someone with a head on their shoulders and knowledge in the field whose opinion I trust and ask them a gazillion questions. Then do it again with someone else to see what they share in common and try to form my own opinion.

Roger Moore (Intel founder) once said that to succeed in business you must surround yourself with the best and brightest people. This seems truer today than ever.