Deployment readiness

Have you ever seen this development cycle?

1. Install new build
2. App doesn’t start, doesn’t log any error why
3. Go back to source code and add improved logging
4. Install new build
5. Read logs
6. Fix the actual problem (usually some stupid configuration thing)
7. Repeat steps 1-6 until all bugs are gone

Was it because of your code, or someone else’s? This sort of cycle is time consuming, frustrating, stressful, and makes you look helpless (or like a cowboy) in front of project managers and support staff.

If your app can’t produce logs your infrastructure staff can understand, then your app is not even close to production-readiness. If it doesn’t log clear errors, how can anyone hope to deploy and support it?