Tips for Integrating Optimization Into the Development Cycle (Continued)

Don't Wait for a Problem to do a Tune-up
Both Jacobsen and Rish said it is good advice to test and solve code and component problems at incremental points, before errors and bottlenecks in the code build upon themselves and cause even more issues.

Performance optimization tools can also be used several times in the development process, but not to the point of throwing the schedule out of whack. This cuts off most problems before they can become buried in the code and more difficult to find and fix later.

Time to market and overall cost of the project can actually be decreased by early identification of problems and potential problems.

"String unit testing—not so much for performance but for usability—is essential, all through the process," Jacobsen said. "You should test each bit of code you write each day, to make sure it compiles correctly and does what it is supposed to. If you do a little at a time, you'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble later."

Kyle Gabhart, a Forth Worth, Texas, Java expert who's heading up the reconstruction of Pier One Imports' corporate sales system from a legacy mainframe system to a new one in J2EE, says he has his group compile and test code each day at least once—sometimes more often.

"We're building a real-time system that will link up our backend services with a point-of-sale front end," he said. "We have to test each bit of code as we go … there's no build, build, build, and compile on our agenda. Everything has to be solid before we move on to the next piece."