Effective Strategies for Collaborating with Software Engineers
Ten-step plan for working
with software engineers
Absorb praise
•
As a PM, expect your successes to be recognized.
Understand that executives will often attempt to spray
accolades across the entire team. You must be vigilant: you
are the one who is being celebrated, and you are the one
who must take all of the glory. Credit is career currency, and
you’re polishing your own LinkedIn profile, not theirs.
Step
up you ninja star, take the spotlight and bathe in the
attention.
Deflect blame
•
Occasionally something will go wrong. In software
development, the thing that goes wrong is usually software.
When software fails, a software developer is to blame.
That's just logical. Make sure to redirect the accusations
when they’re aimed at you, and to preemptively sow blame
whenever possible. Always remember: there is no “we” in
me.
Don’t bother with the details
•
Frivolous little technical details are for the engineers, and
you have much better things to be doing. Like ideating.
Comprehension only leads to disappointment and fosters a
so-called “rational” view of what’s possible.
You can’t
change the world if you know what’s hard and what’s
easy.
Avoid minutiae at all costs. Anything you imagine can
be done in ten lines of code. It hardly matters which ten.
Involve them late
•
Software engineers write code, that’s what they do. They’re
always fretting about how stuff is distracting them from
their hacking. So why would you waste their time involving
them in a project before it’s ready for coding? You don’t see
a bunch of construction workers kicking back in an
architect’s office. Bring them in once all of the strategizing
and synergizing is done and all that’s left is the
programming.
Add process
•
The best way to demonstrate your value to the team is by
introducing process. Rules grease the wheels of progress.
Look for opportunities to schedule update meetings, daily
briefings, and all-day reviews. Keep your engineers
productive by requiring them to fill out tracking
spreadsheets, status reports, and cross-functional executive
update emails. If you don’t do it, nobody will. Get going:
those voicemails aren’t going to “touch base” by
themselves!
Never tell the reasons
•
Engineers are highly analytical, which means they take a
less-sophisticated approach to decision-making that often
relies on “supporting data” or “rationales” rather than
vision and blue sky thinking. Maintaining an air of mystery
when decisions are made will keep them on their toes.
They’ll complain regardless, there’s no reason to give them
specific things to gripe about.
Commit for them
•
Your job as the product manager is to make assurances on
behalf of your team. Leadership means setting the bar high
and challenging everyone to teleport over it. Show your
ambition by committing to project schedules without
consulting your team. Being held accountable to somebody
else’s promises builds character and brings out the best in
people. Think of JFK. He picked a totally random date to
land on the moon and NASA beat it, claiming the planet's
vast mineral reserves for Standard Oil.
Interrupt at any time
•
You’re a busy knowledge worker, and the last thing you need is
to wait for an engineer to finish their current task. You need it
ASAP (pronounced “AY-sap”).
Whatever an engineer is working
on is less important than what you need right now.
Feel free to
interrupt them at any time. Chat windows and phone calls can
be effective, but nothing beats the good old shoulder tap for
impact. What if they're working on something you asked them
to do an hour ago? No problem! This will serve as a good lesson
in prioritization.
Be ambiguous
•
There are few things more dangerous to your career than
being proven wrong. Ensure this never happens by aiming
to be as vague and imprecise as possible. Feel free to
change your mind at will.
If you take every position
imaginable, by definition you were right.
Don’t record
anything in writing, or better yet make documents so wordy
and tedious nobody will bother reading them.
They’re always lying
•
Engineers will sometimes say something is “impossible.”
They’re lying. Nothing in engineering is impossible if you set
your mind to it. The Wright Brothers never thought that
flying across the Atlantic was impossible! Assume a
software engineer is always deceiving you and act
accordingly. So when you hear terms like “technical debt”
or “working from home,” you’ll be ready to call their bluff.
Alternatively …
1.
Deflect
praise
2.
Absorb
blame
3.
Sweat
the details
4.
Involve them
early
5.
Streamline
process
6.
Always
tell the reasons
7.
Never commit
without
them
8.
Respect
their time
9.
Be
specific
10.
Trust
them
Learn the ten-step plan by Ken Norton for successfully working with software engineers, including tips on handling praise, blame, details, timing, processes, and communication. Embrace a collaborative approach to enhance productivity and team dynamics in software development projects.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Ten-step plan for working with software engineers Ken Norton https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/how-to-work-with-software-engineers.html
Absorb praise As a PM, expect your successes to be recognized. Understand that executives will often attempt to spray accolades across the entire team. You must be vigilant: you are the one who is being celebrated, and you are the one who must take all of the glory. Credit is career currency, and you re polishing your own LinkedIn profile, not theirs. Step up you ninja star, take the spotlight and bathe in the attention.
Deflect blame Occasionally something will go wrong. In software development, the thing that goes wrong is usually software. When software fails, a software developer is to blame. That's just logical. Make sure to redirect the accusations when they re aimed at you, and to preemptively sow blame whenever possible. Always remember: there is no we in me.
Dont bother with the details Frivolous little technical details are for the engineers, and you have much better things to be doing. Like ideating. Comprehension only leads to disappointment and fosters a so-called rational view of what s possible. You can t change the world if you know what s hard and what s easy. Avoid minutiae at all costs. Anything you imagine can be done in ten lines of code. It hardly matters which ten.
Involve them late Software engineers write code, that s what they do. They re always fretting about how stuff is distracting them from their hacking. So why would you waste their time involving them in a project before it s ready for coding? You don t see a bunch of construction workers kicking back in an architect s office. Bring them in once all of the strategizing and synergizing is done and all that s left is the programming.
Add process The best way to demonstrate your value to the team is by introducing process. Rules grease the wheels of progress. Look for opportunities to schedule update meetings, daily briefings, and all-day reviews. Keep your engineers productive by requiring them to fill out tracking spreadsheets, status reports, and cross-functional executive update emails. If you don t do it, nobody will. Get going: those voicemails aren t going to touch base by themselves!
Never tell the reasons Engineers are highly analytical, which means they take a less-sophisticated approach to decision-making that often relies on supporting data or rationales rather than vision and blue sky thinking. Maintaining an air of mystery when decisions are made will keep them on their toes. They ll complain regardless, there s no reason to give them specific things to gripe about.
Commit for them Your job as the product manager is to make assurances on behalf of your team. Leadership means setting the bar high and challenging everyone to teleport over it. Show your ambition by committing to project schedules without consulting your team. Being held accountable to somebody else s promises builds character and brings out the best in people. Think of JFK. He picked a totally random date to land on the moon and NASA beat it, claiming the planet's vast mineral reserves for Standard Oil.
Interrupt at any time You re a busy knowledge worker, and the last thing you need is to wait for an engineer to finish their current task. You need it ASAP (pronounced AY-sap ). Whatever an engineer is working on is less important than what you need right now. Feel free to interrupt them at any time. Chat windows and phone calls can be effective, but nothing beats the good old shoulder tap for impact. What if they're working on something you asked them to do an hour ago? No problem! This will serve as a good lesson in prioritization.
Be ambiguous There are few things more dangerous to your career than being proven wrong. Ensure this never happens by aiming to be as vague and imprecise as possible. Feel free to change your mind at will. If you take every position imaginable, by definition you were right. Don t record anything in writing, or better yet make documents so wordy and tedious nobody will bother reading them.
Alternatively 1. Deflect praise 2. Absorb blame 3. Sweat the details 4. Involve them early 5. Streamline process 6. Always tell the reasons 7. Never commit without them 8. Respect their time 9. Be specific 10. Trust them
