Strategies for teaching complex software packages
I am quite a beginner Java programmer and I am currently working on a project to extend a piece of software that has been developed for several years. So it has a fairly large codebase and the previous developers knew it well, so it won't be easy to extend this without a deep understanding of structure and functionality.
1) I started out by trying to tackle small parts of the system and document them with a mind map. (in particular, I am trying to document interactions with external systems)
2) I have a "code complete" book that I am working with.
3) I have pointed some tools like "tattletale" in the code to get some dependency diagrams.
What other strategies should I use, should I focus on one specific aspect?
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Perhaps you could try to simulate the problem that the program should solve. If you have a clear understanding of the problem and the constraints on the solution, then it should be easier to understand the program itself. I'm just guessing here since I don't know what the program is.
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It is important for you to find a good coach for the project. Go for the nice guy who knows the system and loves to answer your questions.
And ask the architect to explain the system to you. If he's good, he can point you to the important parts and point you to the parts you don't need (yet).
Then try to collect small problems. Even stupid error messages and from there. In a few weeks, you should be able to understand the basics of the system.
Good luck!
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