To me the most important thing about Software Development is making sure you get the job done correctly, meaning:
- Code is easy to read
- Code performs well and does not have artificially or erroneously introduced bottlenecks
- Above all make sure the code is easy to maintain
Over the years, most of the time I had to both manage and maintain the projects I had completed for others. The cleaner/better code I write, the more correct choices I make when it comes to the architecture of the project the easier time I would have maintaining and later updating the project.
Usually I didn’t have the luxury of simply moving on to another project and never worrying about how my code/project has perfumed for the customer. So treating the customer as if it was me always pays off in the long term – not to mention a satisfied client is the best way to get another client.