Of recent I’ve been reminded for how uncommon “Common
Sense” truly is. To that end, I submit a list of rules which every company engaged
in software development should adopt.
Sense” truly is. To that end, I submit a list of rules which every company engaged
in software development should adopt.
Titles Should Be Meaningless
Far to often titles are used in modern Corporate America to give an inflated
view of importance or responsibility. What someone’s title in an organization
is should be meaningless. What should be important is what value they bring
to the organization.
Far to often titles are used in modern Corporate America to give an inflated
view of importance or responsibility. What someone’s title in an organization
is should be meaningless. What should be important is what value they bring
to the organization.
Team Cohesiveness Should Rule
A team should be composed of people who respect one another’s opinions and
contributions. Far to often I’ve seen a team dragged through the mud by one
person’s whose attitude towards the work has become bitter. These people are
poison to everyone around them. With understanding to personal life issues,
they should be moved away from the team until they can return with a positive attitude
towards the work.
A team should be composed of people who respect one another’s opinions and
contributions. Far to often I’ve seen a team dragged through the mud by one
person’s whose attitude towards the work has become bitter. These people are
poison to everyone around them. With understanding to personal life issues,
they should be moved away from the team until they can return with a positive attitude
towards the work.
Teams Should Be Dynamic
A team should consist of those needed to perform the work at the moment.
If someone is not necessary for this phase of a project, then they shouldn’t be on
the team until they are needed. Hording talented resources makes them bored.
Bored talented people get employed by your competitors.
A team should consist of those needed to perform the work at the moment.
If someone is not necessary for this phase of a project, then they shouldn’t be on
the team until they are needed. Hording talented resources makes them bored.
Bored talented people get employed by your competitors.
Cut Down Bureacracy
Managers should exist to cut through red-tape, not create it. If your
job is to manage development resources you should spend most of your time each day
allowing them to be creative and solve problems. Your team should feel comfortable
calling you with the smallest concerns and knowing you will get things done in a timely
manner. Your a member of the team to.
Managers should exist to cut through red-tape, not create it. If your
job is to manage development resources you should spend most of your time each day
allowing them to be creative and solve problems. Your team should feel comfortable
calling you with the smallest concerns and knowing you will get things done in a timely
manner. Your a member of the team to.
Be Honest And Keep Your Promises
Try to straight forward in all your communications. If there is change
coming, tell people as soon as you can. Make certain that you avoid obfuscation
whenever possible. The more open communications are, the more powerful the organization
will be because little known talents can be taken advantage of. <!–
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Try to straight forward in all your communications. If there is change
coming, tell people as soon as you can. Make certain that you avoid obfuscation
whenever possible. The more open communications are, the more powerful the organization
will be because little known talents can be taken advantage of. <!–
D(["mb","
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Consistantly Reward Performance
Even the most \ntalent people need motivations to keep going and giving their best. Look \nfor oppurtunities to reward excellence outside of a paycheck. Budget for \nsuch things as needed, but make them spontaneous as you can.
Even the most \ntalent people need motivations to keep going and giving their best. Look \nfor oppurtunities to reward excellence outside of a paycheck. Budget for \nsuch things as needed, but make them spontaneous as you can.
\n
\n
Keep Talent And Cut Chaff
Talented people in \ndevelopment are creative, outside of the box thinkers. These people thrive \nwhen you gather many of them in the same place. You need only look at the \noutput of Xerox\’s famed Palo Alto Research Center (XEROX PARC) to know that a \ngroup of talented creative people can change the world, not just an organization \nprovided that management believes in them. Likewise people who aren\’t \nproducing are a drain on such creativity. You\’ll get more done with 10 \ntalented people than you will with 10 talented people and 10 \nunder-producers.
Talented people in \ndevelopment are creative, outside of the box thinkers. These people thrive \nwhen you gather many of them in the same place. You need only look at the \noutput of Xerox\’s famed Palo Alto Research Center (XEROX PARC) to know that a \ngroup of talented creative people can change the world, not just an organization \nprovided that management believes in them. Likewise people who aren\’t \nproducing are a drain on such creativity. You\’ll get more done with 10 \ntalented people than you will with 10 talented people and 10 \nunder-producers.
\n
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Focus On Small Problems
Attempting to solve "Big \nProblems" in a single large project has been the doom of almost every project \nthat has tried it. Focus on small solutions that build towards a solving \nbig problems. This path may seem to have many hills and valleys and be \nless grandeous, but the highway of large projects is littered with failed \ndeliverables and maintenance nightmares just out of sight over the \nhorizon.
Attempting to solve "Big \nProblems" in a single large project has been the doom of almost every project \nthat has tried it. Focus on small solutions that build towards a solving \nbig problems. This path may seem to have many hills and valleys and be \nless grandeous, but the highway of large projects is littered with failed \ndeliverables and maintenance nightmares just out of sight over the \nhorizon.
\n
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Expect Excellence
It is important to have high \nexpectations of your people, but it is doom to expect the impossible. It \nis key that you speak with your first layer of leadership, not necessarily \nmanagement, on a regular basis about the reality of your goals. They \nshould feel free to tell you when what being asked is simply not possible. \nCreative and talented people will consistantly rise to meet the challenge which \nis difficult, but they will just as consistantly shut down and stop performing \nwhen asked to perform the impossible.”,1]
);
It is important to have high \nexpectations of your people, but it is doom to expect the impossible. It \nis key that you speak with your first layer of leadership, not necessarily \nmanagement, on a regular basis about the reality of your goals. They \nshould feel free to tell you when what being asked is simply not possible. \nCreative and talented people will consistantly rise to meet the challenge which \nis difficult, but they will just as consistantly shut down and stop performing \nwhen asked to perform the impossible.”,1]
);
//–>
Consistantly Reward Performance
Even the most talent people need motivations to keep going and giving their
best. Look for oppurtunities to reward excellence outside of a paycheck.
Budget for such things as needed, but make them spontaneous as you can.
Even the most talent people need motivations to keep going and giving their
best. Look for oppurtunities to reward excellence outside of a paycheck.
Budget for such things as needed, but make them spontaneous as you can.
Keep Talent And Cut Chaff
Talented people in development are creative, outside of the box thinkers.
These people thrive when you gather many of them in the same place. You need
only look at the output of Xerox’s famed Palo Alto Research Center (XEROX PARC) to
know that a group of talented creative people can change the world, not just an organization
provided that management believes in them. Likewise people who aren’t producing
are a drain on such creativity. You’ll get more done with 10 talented people
than you will with 10 talented people and 10 under-producers.
Talented people in development are creative, outside of the box thinkers.
These people thrive when you gather many of them in the same place. You need
only look at the output of Xerox’s famed Palo Alto Research Center (XEROX PARC) to
know that a group of talented creative people can change the world, not just an organization
provided that management believes in them. Likewise people who aren’t producing
are a drain on such creativity. You’ll get more done with 10 talented people
than you will with 10 talented people and 10 under-producers.
Focus On Small Problems
Attempting to solve “Big Problems” in a single large project has been the
doom of almost every project that has tried it. Focus on small solutions that
build towards a solving big problems. This path may seem to have many hills
and valleys and be less grandeous, but the highway of large projects is littered with
failed deliverables and maintenance nightmares just out of sight over the horizon.
Attempting to solve “Big Problems” in a single large project has been the
doom of almost every project that has tried it. Focus on small solutions that
build towards a solving big problems. This path may seem to have many hills
and valleys and be less grandeous, but the highway of large projects is littered with
failed deliverables and maintenance nightmares just out of sight over the horizon.
Expect Excellence
It is important to have high expectations of your people, but it is doom
to expect the impossible. It is key that you speak with your first layer of
leadership, not necessarily management, on a regular basis about the reality of your
goals. They should feel free to tell you when what being asked is simply not
possible. Creative and talented people will consistantly rise to meet the challenge
which is difficult, but they will just as consistantly shut down and stop performing
when asked to perform the impossible. <!–
D(["mb","
It is important to have high expectations of your people, but it is doom
to expect the impossible. It is key that you speak with your first layer of
leadership, not necessarily management, on a regular basis about the reality of your
goals. They should feel free to tell you when what being asked is simply not
possible. Creative and talented people will consistantly rise to meet the challenge
which is difficult, but they will just as consistantly shut down and stop performing
when asked to perform the impossible. <!–
D(["mb","
\n
\n
Strive To Humanize
This runs contrary to so much \nof what is out there today about management, but it is vitally important that \nmanagement over development efforts deliberately humanize themselves to their \nteam on a regular basis. Have lunch out with your team on a regular basis, \ntalk about the things which people talk about at lunch. Remember that \n"Titles Should Be Meaningless" and strive to reinforce that YOU know they are \nwith your team.
This runs contrary to so much \nof what is out there today about management, but it is vitally important that \nmanagement over development efforts deliberately humanize themselves to their \nteam on a regular basis. Have lunch out with your team on a regular basis, \ntalk about the things which people talk about at lunch. Remember that \n"Titles Should Be Meaningless" and strive to reinforce that YOU know they are \nwith your team.
\n
\n
Trust Your People
Perhaps the most important \nrule of all of these, trust your people. Developers are writing code which \nwill be deployed into the most fragile places in your enterprise. These \nmen and women write programs for a living, they create solutions from \nnothing. Give them the environment necessary to be creative and you will \nget excellence. This goes from the physical environments (personalized \nwork spaces comfortable to that person) to the technical environments (rights \nsufficient to install and try new software). Far to often developers are \nplaced in small, unpersonalized cubicles in the dark corner of the office \ncomplex and saddled with authoritarian policies regarding the installation of \nsoftware. Creative environments create creative results.
Perhaps the most important \nrule of all of these, trust your people. Developers are writing code which \nwill be deployed into the most fragile places in your enterprise. These \nmen and women write programs for a living, they create solutions from \nnothing. Give them the environment necessary to be creative and you will \nget excellence. This goes from the physical environments (personalized \nwork spaces comfortable to that person) to the technical environments (rights \nsufficient to install and try new software). Far to often developers are \nplaced in small, unpersonalized cubicles in the dark corner of the office \ncomplex and saddled with authoritarian policies regarding the installation of \nsoftware. Creative environments create creative results.
\n
\n
Tim Rayburn
\n
Originations
\n
CitiFinancial Auto
\n
469-220-5817- Office
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817-300-9788 – Cellphone
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