How to build an awesome software team. What should you care about in managing developers.

1. Building A Software Team
Leong Hean Hong
hong@mrleong.net

2. About
I manage a team of software developers, and
enjoy growing with them. Today I am sharing
some of things I learn from managing a team
of awesome developers.

3. Agenda
● Hiring
● Communication
● Learning
● Motivation
● Team Building

4. Hiring

5. What I Look Out For
● Passion
o Side projects
o Attending events. E.g. (Un)conferences, workshop,
meetups
o Contribution to opensource projects
o Blog, forum
o Freelance work

6. What I Look Out For
● Self Improvement (learning)
o E.g. Learn something not taught in school
o E.g. Learn something not used in previous company
● Attitude

7. Communication
(Teamwork)

8. Tools
● Task management -> Trello
● Documentation -> MediaWiki/DokuWiki
o Developers don’t like documentation
o Documentations reduces communication overhead,
reduces miscommunication
● Communication -> Hangout, Whatsapp,
email

9. Tools Usage
● Task Management
o Clarity in definition of tasks
o Communicate priorities
o Timely update
o Review & feedbacks
● Documentation
o Do the minimal
o Write things that developers need to read

10. Tools Usage
● Communication
o Words are not enough. A picture paints a thousand
words.
o Daily chat with remote team

11. Learning

12. Facilitate Learning
Many employers said they encourage
continuous learning. What have they done so
far?
● Lead by example
● Facilitate learning
● Share what you learn

13. Learning
● Weekly sharing session
o Talk about features/techniques/methods
o New tool/library/framework/language
● Books
● Hackathon, workshop/seminar,
(un)conferences
● Teaching/talks

14. Apply Learning
● Use new/unfamiliar
tool/library/framework/language in project
● Side projects
● Teach/coach

15. Motivation

16. Motivations
Some of the things I practice
● Tell her what she did right
● Praise/complement
o Showcase her projects/features/code
● Challenge her
o Use new, unfamiliar
tool/library/framework/language
o Reduce boring work (e.g implement login,
deployment)

17. Team Building

18. Teamwork
Get developers to work together, understand
one another better. Have fun while doing it.
Some developers are resistant to it, use “fun”
to change them.

19. Teamwork
Techie
● Hackathon, (un)conference,
seminar/workshop
Non-techie
● Sports
● Escape room
● Movies
● Food, ...

20. Share your experience...