Re: Scope creep

Dear Lewis,

WAI materials currently say some things about addressing accessibility early, such as:  "Involving users early in web projects results in better products for users, more efficient development, and other benefits to project stakeholders." & more under "How Involving Users Early Helps" at <http://www.w3.org/WAI/users/involving#why>. Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility <http://www.w3.org/WAI/impl/> is an older resource that talks about including accessibility early and throughout projects.

We plan to provide updated resources that will address including accessibility early in projects even more explicitly. We welcome your comments on any of these resources. Drafts of updated resources will be announced via the venues listed here <http://www.w3.org/WAI/about/announcements>

Regards,
~Shawn <http://www.w3.org/People/Shawn/> for EOWG

(p.s. material that we might use for the updated resource includes <http://uiaccess.com/accessucd/early.html>)


On 11/2/2013 4:42 PM, L Robinson wrote:
> Dear group,
>
> i have been out of the loop for a while, but would like to share experience from a while back, which still may be of use.
>
> Working with Perl and CGI back in 1998, i was requested, way down the line in the project, to put the main output of the site into two columns instead of one. This simple request absolutely floored me, and i was unable to wrestle with the code to perform, what was in essence, adding to a table on the basis of whether or not the output was odd or even.
>
> This is far from the only time which i have encountered difficulties, with what i know as "scope creep": the requirements of the project changing at a time when it is nearly impossible to alter code, as it has already been hard coded to fulfil initial requirements, which those who are in charge of the development of the project think they can change without causing much difficulty.
>
> My experience of accessibility is much the same: planning for users with disabilities must come at the outset of the project, otherwise the developers are set with a task of Sisyphus, wrestling with mountains of non-accessible code, and attempting "patches", or "fixes", when accessibility should have been a cornerstone of the initial development..
>
> As i have said, i have been out of the loop for a while. I presume that such a simple concept as that expressed above, is standard. My apologies if i am attempting to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.
>
> Lewis.
>
> *— Mr Robinson —*
> BA (hons) Oxon.
>
> 271b Liverpool Road
> London N1 1LX

Received on Monday, 4 November 2013 16:13:21 UTC