Production errors in business critical systems can be the most stressful event in your life when you write successful products. You'll simultaneously have to ca

Production errors in business critical systems can be the most stressful event in your life when you write successful products. You'll simultaneously have to calm down a highly agitated customer as well as your own colleagues while dealing with your own guilt about screwing up, possibly at a spiritually low time like 2am. Whenever I write software I try to picture those future conversations and what we need to do to avoid them. Having a few mildly unpleasant conversations about resources, quality, or time needed early on saves on far more unpleasant ones later. It's hard to do this with conviction unless you have actually been there.