Prototype/Proof of Concept code is not production code!

One thing that should be burned into the heads of many
developers is that Prototype/Proof of Concept (PoC)
code is NOT production code. Proof of Concept code is not production
code.

Prototype code is, more or less, proof of concept. When you
create a prototype or PoC, it’s something that can be shown to the client to
create a common understanding of what is to be delivered. Now, some people will
disagree with this, but … after the client agrees to this prototype/PoC this
code should only be saved for reference. It should only be referenced to ensure
the client is getting what they received. It should be compared to the final
app to make sure it works in the same order.

When creating Prototype/PoC the goal is to save money. It helps
set its viability, expose any technical issues and express any concern over any
direction of the system. Feedback can be implemented quite easily at this
point. This allows the developer and business analyst to quickly identify the
noted issues without incurring a high overhead of development costs.

Once the Prototype/PoC is agreed upon, the development on
the prototype ceases and the design phase of the new system should begin. Under
NO circumstance should the prototype be taken and converted into the actual
production site. Will you take snippets of code here and there? Yes, will you
grab a piece of JavaScript from the client code you created for the prototype?
Yes. Will you use the entire project as your production code? No.

The reason for this is simple; prototype code is ugly,
messy, and nasty. It’s a conglomerate of blog posts, mixed with MSDN How-To
articles, mixed with hacks and riddled with bugs. The code in these types
of projects contain code that is far from anything pretty. The
code would take longer to clean up than it would to take to write it from a
fresh slate.