Building the Next Generation of Technical Leaders
Building the Next Generation of Technical
[email protected]://www.thekua.com/atworkTwitter:
@patkua
20101Housekeeping 2010Our Journey 2010IntroductionsWhat is
Technical Leadership?Our problemWhat we can do about it 2010Who am
I?
2010
Who are you? 2010IntroductionsWhat is Technical Leadership?Our
problemWhat we can do about it 2010Ubiquitous Language! 2010A
leader who spends at least 30% of their time coding with the
team(our definition for today)Technical LeaderCoding with the
teamLeadership activities
Define 2010
2010Why do we have Technical Leaders? 2010
GOAL 2010The unspoken truth about managing geeks
Source: By Jeff Ello via Computer World - http://bit.ly/15Rm4z
2010Speak from the quote card
People dont trust people if they dont know what theyre doingThey
will work around youThis is why technical leaders need to have
their hand in the game still
13Software systemsPeopleToolsTechnologyProcessLeadership
2010IntroductionsWhat is Technical Leadership?Our problemWhat we
can do about it 2010Why do IT projects fail? 2010
Fail ure 2010Software
systemsPeopleToolsTechnologyProcessLeadership 2010A bad system will
beat a good person every timeW. Edwards
DemingPeopleToolsTechnologyProcessLeadership 2010More quotes
In Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense, Jeff
Pfeffer and Robert Sutton write that systems trump individual
effort on a regular basis. They argue that bad systems do far more
damage than bad people, and a bad system can make a genius look
like an idiot. Try redesigning systems and jobs before you decide
that a person is crappy. -
http://www.baileyworkplay.com/2008/04/when-bad-systems-happen-to-good-people/
119. The problem is often in the system not the people. but good
people in a bad system you get bad results. - Steven Covey
Deming: "A bad system will beat a good person every time"
19Examples of damaging behaviour 2010Early morning refactor(late
evening) 2010STORY HERE21
Code
2010????
Code 2010Benevolent Dictator 2010STORY: Tech lead who knows
best24DIY (always) 2010STORY: Tech lead who cant let go25The hard
problems are mine 2010STORY: 26Our current system does not create
effective Technical Leaders Problem Statement 2010Software
systemsPeopleToolsTechnologyProcessLeadership 2010Should we be
worried? 2010Net Negative Producing Programmer 2010(noun) [a
person] who insert enough spoilage to exceed the value of their
production The Net Negative Producing Programmer by G. Gordon
SchulmeyerNet Negative Producing ProgrammerDefine 2010*If you can
measure productivityNet producing
programmerProductivity*BetterWorseSameNet neutral producing
programmerNet negative producing programmer 2010See Eric Evans
Strategic Design hes been trying to article something like
this32
2010Net Negative Producing ProgrammerTechnical Leader 2010
2010
2010Describe the impact36But how did they get there? 2010Its all
perfectly logical 2010
2010The Peter Principle is something thats been around for a
while, promoting people to their level of incompetence39In a
hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of
incompetence
The Peter Principle (1969) by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond
Hull 2010PAPER: The Peter Principle Revisited: A Computational
Study
Three Italian researchers published a paper that demonstrated
this using computer simulations used an agent based algorithm. They
demonstrated that organisational efficiency improved by promoting
people at random instead of based on competence in existing roles.
They also demonstrated that promoting the best *and* the worst
still out performed the merit based one.
40DevelopmentLeadershipImplementing new functionalityChanging
existing behaviourWriting testsClean codeChallenging
assumptionsOffering alternative solutionsEnsuring everyone works
towards a visionGrowing talentCreating a healthy team
environmentResponsible for deliveryEmpowering everyone to make
decisionsResolving conflictStory telling 2010IntroductionsWhat is
Technical Leadership?Our problemWhat we can do about it 2010Step
1:Recognise the different skillset
2010DevelopmentLeadershipImplementing new functionalityChanging
existing behaviourWriting testsClean codeChallenging
assumptionsOffering alternative solutionsEnsuring everyone works
towards a visionGrowing talentCreating a healthy team
environmentResponsible for deliveryEmpowering everyone to make
decisionsResolving conflictStory telling 2010DevelopingTechnical
LeadershipCoachingManagingFacilitatingMentoringTeaching 2010Step
1:Recognise the different skillsetStep 2:Develop competence
2010This takes time. Need support and planning in advance.
Technical Leaders should be growing other leaders46Dreyfus model of
skills acquisition 2010
Dreyfus Affair 2010
Richard Dreyfus 2010
Julie Louis-Dreyfus 2010
Stuart Dreyfus
Stuart Dreyfus 2010Paper: A Five-Stage Model of the Mental
Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition
2010NoviceAdvanced BeginnerCompetentProficientExpert 2010Novice
in controlDont put a 2010DevelopmentLeadership
Remember this? 2010Pair Programminging 20101:1s 2010Shadowing
2010Safe environments 2010Step 1:Recognise the different
skillsetStep 2:Develop competenceStep 4:Profit! (really)
2010Learning as a team 201061Celebrate success 201062Opportunities
to contribute 2010STORY: David interested in UX for a project that
made the application really useful for end users63Everyone is safe
to fail(lead by humility) 201064Conflicts resolved openly
201065IntroductionsWhat is Technical Leadership?Our problemWhat we
can do about it 2010Software
systemsPeopleToolsTechnologyProcessLeadership 2010
2010Closing notes 2010We can do so much better in our industry
building the next generation of technical leaders. Identifying what
those skills are, and trying to get better at growing them is the
next part of the challenge that we have as an organisation.69it is
critical to acknowledge the impact of individuals and teams on end
resultsSource: QCon London recursive reference 2010Success in
projects doesnt just depend on tools and technologies
70
2010Success in projects doesnt just depend on tools and
technologies
[email protected]: @patkua
2010
