Continuous Learning

Hi –

This is the first message in the Leaderware list. Thanks for waiting patiently for me to get this list off the ground. For the past month I shopped for mailing list software and I even started to craft my own custom version But for now I put that on hold for some family obligations and ended up using Microsoft bCentral List Builder in the interim. The future upgrades (if it occurs) will be transparent to you.

This first article is meant to cover the overall structure for the list and serve as a precursor for the things that are about to come. The next message will be an article. As previously noted I will keep the volume to one message per week, but the frequency can vary a bit.

Types of Messages

For now I can see three general types of messages on this list. There might be more…

• Articles – these will be messages that I wrote about a particular topic. Due to the specificity of the topics it will need to make assumptions about the reader’s background, otherwise the articles will be 100 pages long. For each of these messages I will call out the audiences and prerequisites that the article assumes before the article body, and add reference links at the end of article for those who are interested to do more digging.

• References – Periodically I will pass along other articles and links that I found helpful to the list, possibly with some commentaries.

• Q&A – Once a while I will post your questions/comments/feedbacks to the list, and possibly with my replies if it’s applicable.

Themes

As previous noted the focus of this list will be to provide insights on the principles of software development that I believe are keys to succeed as a leader in the technology world. While the topics for future articles can vary from project management to software design and recruiting, there are some central themes that you will find running through upcoming articles:

People are first and foremost in software. In order to deliver software you need the best people you can find. Without the right people, everything becomes harder than necessary. To become a successful leader in software it will be important for anyone to realize software business is people business.

Process are crucial but only if it aids productivity. Standardized methodology is a misguided attempt to simplify the complex environment of software and people. Just as each person does the same things differently; if we apply methodology indiscriminately it will simply hamper productivity, not aiding it. Instead of methodologies, I prefer decision frameworks and best practices, as it allows for customization to the specific environment.

Quality is the baseline. In the past it’s about getting things done, period. But the bar has been raised and now it includes the elusive criteria – quality. Regardless of how fuzzy this term can be, a software leader has not delivered anything until the product/service can be considered quality. At the very least – quality means deliver the required scope within budget and within schedule, with fewer than x numbers of defects, and fewer than y numbers of customer complaints.

Productivity is the differentiator. If quality is meeting the bar, then productivity blows the bar away. From the management perspective, how do you deliver software in 80% of cost? 50%? 20%? For those numbers to become possible, one will need to raise productivity through the roof. From individual perspective, self actualization is achieved when one is performing at very high level and be in the zone. Productivity is where both organization and individual goals align.

Communication will make or break your project. Projects are team sport – if the team members are not communicating, then the project will simply fail. On the other hand, if there is too much communication, project can also stall. Your mission as a leader, should you accept the challenge, is to channel the right communication to enable your project to succeed beyond wildest expectations.

Technical knowledge is advantage today but baseline tomorrow. If one does not enjoy what he/she does, he/she will not be successful at it. How this applies here is that if one thinks one can manage technology without understanding it, think again. This does not mean everyone needs to be a developer, but it does mean you take time to know what you do – it’s a long term advantage today. Just look at Bill Gates if you need more proof that being technical is a good thing. Another way to look at this is that ten years from now everyone will know technology, and you do not want to be left out.

Software is all about design and creation. Contrary to the popular belief based on the prevalent construction-based methodologies, everything about software is about design and creation. While on the surface building software appears similar to building houses, it is actually closer to designing the blueprints for an extremely large and complex house (think of something on the scale of skyscrapers and aircraft carriers) or shooting a movie. Recognizing the difference between the two will allow you to manage it appropriately and help push your team’s productivity skywards.

Small is beautiful. Big is an American thing and it is a macho thing. But software does not benefit from more, it actually benefits from less. The more people participate in a software project, the higher the risk of failure. We all have heard the proverbial “too many chefs”, but in software this is especially true. Many methodologists focus their effort on solving problems for big projects, but bigness in software is similar to laws of gravity – the higher you jump from, the harder the fall. Harness the natural law of smallness to your advantage.

Leadership is a skill that can be learned. Otherwise – why have this list? Seriously though, everyday we became enamored by leaders who appear to be “natural” and believe their charisma comes from a mysterious gene pool that only few individuals possess. What we do not see is the growth process these leaders have gone through; each one has gone through steady and/or drastic transformations that enable them to see further and take the rest of us with them. While it is true that the required commitment does come from within yourself, rest assured if you are committed to grow, you will.

Feedbacks needed

Lastly, and I cannot overstress its importance, please feel free to provide me with comments and feedbacks. If you have some topics that you are interested to talk about, feel free to let me know too. I am most interested in feedbacks to ensure this list stays relevant to the participant’s needs. Any feedback is great as I look forward to be the one learning the most on this list

Thanks,

Yinso