Do you follow the directions?

[zridling]

I read, but do not always follow the directions on the box, the can, the package, etc. If you're a cook, you know the obvious reason why not to follow them. If you're a painter, then you better follow them, if for no other reason to save time. What about software? I stumbled across this old Joel Spolsky checklist for building better software back in 2000 on my HD. If you haven't read it, it might save you a lot of time.

       01. Do you use source control?
       02. Can you make a build in one step?
       03. Do you make daily builds?
       04. Do you have a bug database?
       05. Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
       06. Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
       07. Do you have a spec?
       08. Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
       09. 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?

* Thanks thrown to Jeff Atwood at Coding Horror for reminding me what helped me start my own little great software list.

[Redhat]

Nice post. As I'm moving into software dev, that's a great list of things to consider.

Thanks for posting 

[mouser]

joel is one of the best software writers, and his advice is always ignored at your own peril.

for me, i think you could probably compress most of those into one simple rule:
Keep Track Of Things

i.e.
keep track of your todo list, your plan for the code, your bugs, your schedule, your build process.