Chief programmer team management of production programming

Production programming projects today are often staffed by relatively junior programmers with at most a few years of experience. This condition is primarily the result of the rapid development of the computer and the burgeoning of its applications. Although understandable, such staffing has at least two negative effects on the costs of projects. First, the low average level of experience and knowledge frequently results in less-than-optimum efficiency in programming design, coding, and testing. Concurrently, the more experienced programmers, who have both the insight and knowledge needed to improve this situation, are frequently in second- or third-level management positions where they cannot effectively or economically do the required detailed work of programming.