Meanwhile back with Tom Kyte

Eddie Awad asks: How come no one has mentioned "testing"?! A very important part of developing an application (any application) is to test it again and again until the tests produce the desired results.
Of course Eddie is right, but sadly, like good design, adequate testing often takes a backseat role to getting the job done. Reduced rigour in testing is, however, not always a deliberate ploy by the developers to cut corners, it can be that they just don't know how to test.
I expect the coders that work for me can unit test their work and to keep proper records of their tests - I even let the ISO auditor loose on them just keep them on their toes. I expect their test plans to cover both the expected and exception cases. I also expect that these guys to handle the type of regression testing we put in at deployment time to ensure old bugs don't come back. But I do not expect them to design complex testing plans - that goes down to expert test managers. Here I'm lucky in that I use one of the best freelance test managers in Europe - I've known her for years (we were at school together) and she is one scary lady. She can make both coders and customers quake at the rigour of her test plans. But we pay her to make sure the tests are fit for purpose and she delivers. She is well worth the cost of flying her in from Switzerland for a few weeks or months.