I disapprove the statement. Once the program is written and commissioned, the real work begins in the form of system maintenance. Studies show that 50-70% of the total development effort by programmers is spent on systems maintenance.
Reasons:
1. Programmers still need to adapt the developed system to a changing information technology environment so as to ensure that the system is compatible with current systems (Adaptive maintenance).
2. Programmers need to correct errors found in the developed system. This task could be very involving if many errors are discovered in the system‘s programs (Corrective maintenance).
3. Programmers will still need to modify programs to make them more efficient, more reliable, or more maintainable (Perfective maintenance).
4. Programmers still need to carry out regular checks on programs to identify areas that need attention so as to reduce future maintenance (Preventive maintenance).
It can also be argued that once the program is written and it works, then the job of the programmers is done.
Reasons:
1. Another team of programmers contracted specifically for the purpose of maintenance could carry out maintenance. Hence, the programmers who developed the system do not need to participate after systems commissioning.
2. A properly coded and tested system usually doesn‘t need a lot of maintenance.
3. After systems delivery, it‘s up to the end user to identify and report errors encountered with the system. This could be the cumbersome part of maintenance. Enforcing the changes to the system is rather easy for an experienced systems programmer if the programs were developed according to standards.
4. A program that works does not need a lot of maintenance. It may only need perfective or adaptive maintenance which is relatively easier to perform as opposed to corrective maintenance which is cumbersome.