Strategy #1: Take whatever you can find This is far too common. By definition, whatever you can find typically means a job that you can be quickly trained to do. This generally ends up being at a nonskilled job at a restaurant or a retail store or something like that. Any job that you can be quickly trained to do […]
So Scrum. The most popular agile software development methodology, with seemingly around 70% of agile teams using it. What is it all about? Is it good or is it whack? Has Scrum made our lives better? Let’s dive in. Scrum assumes you can reliably estimate task duration Scrum has good intentions. Measuring your productivity. Accountability to not do more or […]
Things individuals can do to protect Flow: Keep your phone on silent all day long. Disable all notifications on your computer. Distractions from a phone / computer can disrupt Flow dozens of times every day. Respond to text messages, phone calls, and e-mails when you get stuck. Distractions actually help you when you get stuck. Find music that helps you […]
Us developer sorts have an unusually hard time coming up with ideas. Often, non-technical folks have lots of ideas, but no ability to make them, and technical folks have the ability to build things, but no idea what to build. Both are rather humbling in their own way. Why is this? I think its partially due to the nature of our work, and […]
Recruiters and business leaders looking to hire software developers have a problem. No, it isn’t that coders are arrogant babies with superpowers and totally unrealistic job expectations. The problem is how recruiters communicate to the developers they hope to hire. Instead of enticing them and trying to buy their love with flamboyant company cultures that have more to do with […]
Considering a role as an employee or co-founder at a young company? Here are some questions to help you size it up. Some may be more appropriate for the leadership, others may be better for employees. Comments or additions welcome. Business What problem does it solve, and what is the value that it seeks to add? What would that be […]
Find a sustainable pace and keep people in tempo with it. Your job as a leader is to protect your people so that they can keep doing their job day-in and day-out. And this means finding a sustainable pace, setting that pace as the leader, and then keeping your people accountable to not run too fast or too slow. Leaders who […]
Want to do Web Marketing? Here’s how I do it. (I started this list in 2009, and I try to keep it up-to-date. If you spot outdated info, please let me know.) Most recent update: Sept. 4, 2020 Website Whether you know how to code or not, a Content Management System like WordPress can come in handy. Are you a […]