The 7 Duties of Great Software Professionals

The 7 duties of
great software professionals
Jurgen Appelo
version 2

Jurgen Appelo

Once there was a software business with
unhappy customers

Customer satisfaction was low because of low
quality and productivity

Quality and productivity were low because there was
lack of skills and discipline

Customer dissatisfaction increased
pressure on teams

Stress at work meant
no time for
education

No education meant
no skills and
no discipline

Customer pressure led to
unhappy teams

Lack of skills and unhappy customers added to
decreasing
demotivation

Decreased
motivation
added to
decreasing
productivity

We call this a
Causal Loop Diagram
(Some call it a
Diagram of Effects)

It shows the business suffered from
vicious cycles

And not just one, but
many

Management saw
revenues declining

They tried to support
improvement while
cutting budgets

Meanwhile, technological pressure was increasing
And due to the crisis, economic pressure also went up

Needless to say, this business was
DOOMED

Needless to say, this business was
DOOMED
UNLESS...
People learn their duties as great software professionals

OK, but how?

Three maturity levels (for skill)
Shutraditional wisdom, learning fundamentals (apprentice)
Ha detachment, breaking with tradition (journeyman)
Ri transcendence, everything is natural (master)
(last column: three similar levels in medieval European guild system)
Note: the Dreyfus Model lists five levels of skill acquisition:
Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient, Expert
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuhari
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_craftsman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition

Six maturity levels (for discipline)
Oblivious “We don’t even know that we’re performing a process.”
Variable “We do whatever we feel like at the moment.”
Routine “We follow our routines (except when we panic).”
Steering “We choose among our routines by the results they produce.”
Anticipating “We establish routines based on our past experiences.”
Congruent “Everyone is involved in improving everything all the time.”
Gerard Weinberg, Quality Software Management: Systems Thinking
(Alternative: six similar levels in “Agile Made Us Better…” by Ross Petit)
http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Software-Management-Systems-Thinking/dp/0932633226/
http://www.thoughtworks.com/agile-made-us-better

Competence = maturity in 2 dimensions

In order to be professionals,we grow skills and discipline.Here’s how...

Safest traffic in the world
Marshall Islands
San Marino
Malta
Iceland
Netherlands
Sweden
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Japan
Singapore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobjagendorf/4122137519/

1. Self-development
People must learn...
urgence vs. importance
time management

2. Coaching & Mentoring
Hire external coaches
Note: manager != coach

3. Training & Certification
By itself a certificate doesn’t mean anything, but...
it can catalyze all other competency measures

4. Culture & Socialization
Let people identify with a small group
Give them shared responsibility for shared goals

5. Tools & Infrastructure
Tools must be adaptable, not just customizable
Open databases, APIs, scripts, plug-ins, reports

6. Supervision & Control (or Patrol)
Have someone sample/check the products of teams

7. Management
Cleans up the mess when everything else fails...

7 Approaches to competency development
1. Self-Development
6. Supervision & Control
7. Management

7 Approaches to competency development
This is our individual duty
1. Self-Development
6. Supervision & Control
7. Management

Your career is your own responsibility. Your employer is not your mother.

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself
The 7 Duties of
Software Professionals

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I motivate myself by reading

“16 Basic Desires”
Acceptance The need for approval
Physical Activity Or exercise
Curiosity The need to think
Power The need for influence of will
Eating The need for food
Romance The need for love and sex
Family The need to raise children
Saving The need to collect
Honor Being loyal to a group
Social Contact The need for friends
Idealism The need for purpose
Status The need for social standing
Independence Being an individual
Tranquility The need to be safe
Order Or stable environments
Vengeance The need to strike back
Steven Reiss. Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. City: Berkley Trade, 2002

“16 Basic Desires”
Steven Reiss. Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. City: Berkley Trade, 2002

“Self-Determination Theory”
Competence The need to feel capable
Autonomy The need to choose one’s own actions
Relatedness The need to be socially involved
Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. The Handbook of Self-Determination Research. Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2004

“Self-Determination Theory”
Social Contact /Relatedness The need for friends
Independence /Autonomy Being an individual
CompetenceThe need to feel capable
Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. The Handbook of Self-Determination Research. Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2004

10 Intrinsic Desires
Social Contact / Relatedness The need for friends
Independence / Autonomy Being an individual
Competence The need to feel capable

“Drive”
Idealism /Purpose The need for purpose
Independence /Autonomy Being an individual
Competence /Mastery The need to feel capable
Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Riverhead, 2009

10 Intrinsic Desires
Idealism / Purpose The need for purpose
Independence / Autonomy Being an individual
Competence/ Mastery The need to feel capable

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I directed myself with a goal

aim
intent
goal
mission
vision
target
objective
Let’s ignore the (subtle) differences for now…

Goal checklist
specificand understandable
simpleand concise
manageableand measurable
memorableand reproducible
attainableand realistic
ambitiousand stimulating
actionableand assignable
agreed-uponand committable
relevantand useful
time-boundand time-specific
tangibleand real
excitableand igniting
inspiringand visionary
value-basedand fundamental
revisitableand assessable

Exercise: Example 1
Actionable
Ambitious
Inspiring
Measurable
Memorable
Realistic
Simple
Tangible
Time-bound
Understandable
Useful
Value-based
As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.

Exercise: Example 2
Actionable
Ambitious
Inspiring
Measurable
Memorable
Realistic
Simple
Tangible
Time-bound
Understandable
Useful
Value-based
Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

“Management by Objectives”
Everything starts with a purpose...
Peter F. Drucker

“ELIMINATE Management by Objectives”
Eliminate quotas and bonuses...
W. Edwards Deming

Goals should not be pushed with financial rewards
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594488843?ie=UTF8&tag=noopnl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1594488843

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I organize my own work

First, there was a
(big) bang!

…and then strings formed particles

…and particles formed molecules

…and molecules formed solar systems

…and living cells

…and cells formed species

…and species formed groups

…and groups formed ecosystems

…and economies

…and every system organized itself.

Self-organization… a definition
“Self-organization is a process of attraction and repulsion in which the internal organization of a system, normally an open system, increases in complexity without being guided or managed by an outside source.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-organization

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38607288@N03/4087457751/

Shared space
Increased risk perception
People are less mindful when they see no risks
Reduced false security / risk compensation
People show riskier behavior when they think they are safe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I measure my results

Example:
using checklists as a Definition of Done

Sub-optimization principle
“If each subsystem, regarded separately, is made to operate with maximum efficiency, the system as a whole will not operate with utmost efficiency.”
Lars Skyttner, General Systems Theory
http://www.amazon.com/General-Systems-Theory-Lars-Skyttner/dp/9810241763/

WYMIWYG
“What You Measure Is What You Get”
or…
“What gets measured gets managed”
(Peter Drucker)
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/papers/wymiwyg.html

Sub-optimization + WYMIWYG
Leads to…
Every measurement of one part will lead to sub-optimization of the whole
So…
How to measure and study the whole?

Let’s start with the good old Iron Triangle

Then add some modifications...
Split Cost (Resources) in People and Tools
Split Scope in Functionality and Quality(suggestion: Scott Ambler)
Add a dimension for Process(suggestion: Alistair Cockburn)
Add a dimension for (Business) Value(suggestion: Jim Highsmith)
http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/brokenTriangle.html
http://alistair.cockburn.us/index.php/Process:_the_fourth_dimension
http://blog.cutter.com/2009/08/10/beyond-scope-schedule-and-cost-measuring-agile-performance/

1. Time
2. People
3. Tools
4. Functionality
5. Quality
6. Process
7. Value
Measure in multipledimensions of software projects

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I connect to Agilists

The workplace is a network

Individual competence
“We learned that individual expertise did not distinguish people as high performers. What distinguished high performers were larger and more diversified personal networks.”
Cross, Rob et.al. The Hidden Power of Social Networks. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2004

Individual competence
“Engineers are roughly five times more likely to turn to a person for information as to an impersonal source such as a database.”
Cross, Rob et.al. The Hidden Power of Social Networks. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2004

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I empower through delegation

The Seven Levels of Delegation
Tell: make all decisions yourself
Sell: convince people about decision
Consult: get input from others before decision
Join: make decision together with others
Advise: influence decision made by others
Confirm: ask feedback after decision by others
Delegate: no influence, let others work it out

flow from left to right

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself

For example:
I improve through feedback

Fitness Landscape
performance
system configuration

The Red Queen’s Race
“It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place.”

Three Drivers of Improvement
Adaptation
Looking backward, reactive, responding to change
Exploration
Trying things out, interactive, experience feedback
Anticipation
Looking forward, proactive, imagining improvement

Stuck in the Fitness Landscape
What now?

The Strategy of Mutation
Experiment with ideas

The Strategy of Broadcasts
Copy other people’s ideas

The Strategy of Crossover
Mix the best ideas

Nonlinear Improvement
2, 4
Kaikaku
Radical improvement
1, 3, 5
Kaizen
Gradual improvement

Motivate Yourself
Direct Yourself
Organize Yourself
Measure Yourself
Connect Yourself
Empower Yourself
Improve Yourself
The 7 Duties of
Software Professionals

slideshare.net/jurgenappelo
@jurgenappelo (twitter)
noop.nl (blog)
jurgenappelo.com (site)
management30.com (book)

This presentation was inspired by the works of many people, and I cannot possibly list them all. Though I did my very best to attribute all authors of texts and images, and to recognize any copyrights, if you think that anything in this presentation should be changed, added or removed, please contact me at jurgen@noop.nl.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

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The 7 Duties of Great Software Professionals

by Jurgen Appelo on Jan 30, 2011

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The 7 Duties of Great Software Professionals — Presentation Transcript