There are plenty of things that can be done to keep a developer from making repeatable and preventable mistakes. So the question really is: What kind of fines motivate developers? I look at fines as not only a deterrent but a way to help improve the talent of the entire development team and build team camaraderie. I've read that people at Microsoft that break the build take the build process until the next person breaks the build, but for me, nothing says "fine" like monetary punishment.

The fines listed below are not exactly going to break someone's pocket, but it does hurt to go into your wallet and pay up. The fines accumulate in a fine jar until there is enough to bring in doughnuts for the entire office.

So, what do you guys use for a fine system?

• Making wild claims without having or providing supporting evidence: $1.00
• Not writing a test case to isolate a bug: $2.00
• Checking in code that doesn't compile (including hints/warnings, and active database connections at design-time): $2.00
• Losing the IFDEFs in a DPR (typical when doing Add To Project in the IDE): $1.00 per DPR
• Checking in code that causes users not to be able to run (typically done when not testing first): $1.00
• Modifying editor options without prior approval: $1.00