Software teams get called out for being costly more often than not. Salaries never seem to shrink. They need high-running machines to write code on. They need additional software and tools to show where they are, how they are progressing, and when they might be able to deliver code to end-users. They need build machines and extra devices to make things work. They have questions (oh the questions, how cruel to ask questions). And this…
I’m going to try something new and see where it goes, a series of what I think are important pillars (blocks, stones?) of leading software teams. This is all geared towards the new Software Manager, Team Lead, or any other role that is undertaking leadership responsibilities in their day-to-day endeavours. One-On-Ones If you are not doing these with your team and they are not of the scheduled variety, go, send out the calendar invites now…
First, you show up – on time, with an open mind, ready to take everything in. Then you listen – patiently, attentively, without judgment or interruption. You act on what you have heard, putting it into practice, seeing what works and what doesn’t, iterating along the way. And when those three have been done, you will have learned something. Sometimes we forget what goes into the first three to get to learning, master one, forget…
Stagehands get the stage ready between takes, they close curtains, cue fog machines, turn on lights – all that great stuff that no one sees happening but is infinitely critical to the success of a play. These people exist in your team and company, but they are harder to see when you are remote because now they are not walking past you to do your job or being “cued” in, they are simply doing it,…
When asked about the best methodology to follow, my answer is always the same – Common Sense. When constructing a software delivery process always do the following; Do activities that are worth doing. Do activities that provide value to yourself, your team, and your company. Ensure that anyone, at any time can know what is happening. Don’t put it onto the shoulders of one person, the team should share in it. The dilemma in agile…