That's not really a question, but they don't start off by writing code - they start off by planning what they want to achieve.

There are many way to start a programming project. IMHO, writing code is perhaps the worst. I would recommend the following steps: 1. Specs. Write a list of specs for the code. What are the inputs and outputs? Requirements? For a simple code, these specs will end up as the documentation itself, so I kill two birds with one stone. 2. Careful thought. Visualize in your head exactly how the code will flow. I once left a specific project ruminating in my head for roughly a year, until I had the code design quite clear in my head. This was for a problem that had no time frame so I was in no hurry, but once I was ready to start writing, the code itself flowed quickly from my fingers. Of course, a small tool will take much less time up front. Depending upon the complexity of the project, you may find a flowchart is a useful thing here. 3. Documentation/help. Before writing any code itself, I write the help. 4. Only at the very end of the process will I write code. Even then, I will do so in small, modular pieces if possible, to allow me to test and verify each piece separately. Why is writing the code itself first a bad thing? If you start out writing code before you have the specs formulated and the problem at least broadly thought out, you will end up writing and then RE-writing your code multiple times. You will end up with a half baked solution, that may be inadequate in the end. Or the code may end up being heavily patched, with fixes that reflect things you realize were needed along the way.

Yes you are correct. Regards, http://liveperson.in/