I like to adhere to the AAAA rule of email. The four A’s of email reminds you to check you email for four items before you click the send button. Check and double check for correct Address, correct Attachments, correct Attitude and tone and state an Action you want from a recipient. Recently, a developer [...]
I don’t count my progress by the line of codes but at the same time I don’t take pride by over engineering a solution. Writing code is like writing for a publication, you have to know at what reading level you are writing for. That said, the one type of code statement that gets under [...]
Processes are supposed to support people, not people support processes. A process should be documented in one document or checklist or directory or wiki or website that everyone has access to. Everyone should have a copy readily available. It should not be outlined in emails or sporadically over several documents across different locations. Always review [...]
Posted in Programming, Rant, Team, TechKnow | Also tagged accountability, automate, empower, management, people, process, simplify, transperancy |
Even when I have been the sole developer in a class, interface, module, library, or feature I try to always report progress as “We.” For defects and issues it’s always easy to point out the fault and personalize the problem when it was caused by someone else. Avoid naming names or singling out an individual. [...]
I’ve worked for large companies and I’ve worked with small companies. There is a big difference in your day to day responsibilities when working in either of these environments. In a large company, you know your rank, your salary pay, and your place in the org chart. In a large company, you can predict product [...]
No one has time to read long rambling text. One of the great things about Twitter is that it has a 140 character limit, it forces people to be concise, precise, to the point. It is so much easier to follow someone twitter than someones blog. This is also true for corporate communication. Within a [...]