Help in Planning

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Sona Mehta <sona -dot- mehta -at- haysmt -dot- co -dot- uk> wrote:

>How do I tell what are the last level tasks that I will be doing even
>before I understand what needs to be changed in the document? I know the
>higer level tasks like 
>1. Understanding the code (Very difficult, any suggestions on how to go
about it?)

From your post, I assume that you don't read C code. While that
would be a useful skill to learn, for now:

1.) Opening the code in a text editor and reading comments. With
luck, the coder who left will have left enough information for
you to know what to expect. If not, then urge that your company
use more comments. Warning: read a copy of the source code, or
else open in read-only mode.

2.) Sit down with a coder. You could just pick his/her brains,
but it would more useful in the long run to ask for a basic guide
to reading code. For your purposes, you may not need to read code
fluently. You might be able to get by with a few basics to point
you to the parts of the code you need to read.

3.) Get a basic programming book, and learn some of the basics
yourself.


-- 
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com | Tel: 604.421.7189

"And if they waste nothing, they can keep their little pile,
And if they say nothing, they will not be on file,
And if they see nothing, no one shall see them,
No one will take down their name."
- Oysterband, "Flatlands"