Healthy Developer

No matter how experienced you are, sometimes your software tasks will be late. How you handle this often has far reaching implications on your career and your health. In this episode, I share some insights I've had from doing this well - and not so well. Learning to be transparent, reset expectations, and refuse to be strong-armed into releasing low quality work will ensure you have a sustainable...

It's easy to blame your company when a software project seems to require so many hours, that you suffer from software project burnout. And there certainly are companies that haven't figured out how to set deadlines in a way that expectations can be reset if things go wrong. But you can also burn yourself out, if you don't set healthy boundaries. I've actually worked overtime at the BEGINNING of a...

Imposter syndrome is something software teams often talk negatively about, but it can actually be a sign of growth. The feeling that you don't know what others think you do can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. We all put up with this feeling when we're new, because others expect that we don't know what we're doing. But after a few years in software development, we can forget that feeling. When a...

Stop getting angry that you're company isn't more AGILE! It's human nature that causes digital transformations to fail. I spent most of my career trying to help companies be agile. But people in positions of power are often driven by greed and the illusion of control, and they won't support efforts that require them to change. I had a nasty bout of insomnia in April of 2017 where I had to resign f...

We all hate that sinking feeling when we realize we're on a failing software project.  What you do then will have a bigger impact on your health than your reputation. Earlier in my career, I would try to avoid blame as my number one priority. As I got more experienced, I saw the folly of this and realized I needed to follow through with my best work. How we deal with tough times says more to other...

Do you ever get that sinking feeling that the people running your software business don't really know what they're doing? Here's 5 signs your software business is led by amateurs! ​ ​ It can be practically a sport to make fun of leadership for not understanding modern software development and its implications. That's not the purpose of this post. If you're working at a company where several of the...

Have you ever been on a software project with someone who does great work but is difficult to work with? Here's some strategies for confronting difficult software developers about their behavior. ​ ​ Before you even think about having this conversation, go into the conversation detached from the outcome you want. If you go into it thinking "If I don't get this person's behavior then I'll be upset"...

Does it seem like others are turned off by you before you're even able to fully explain yourself? Today I'd like to share 4 behaviors that stem out of our fear of being misunderstood. These can cause other software professionals to dislike and not want to work with you! ​ ​ Demanding Re-Explanation A parent will sometimes ask a child "OK, tell me what I just said" to make sure they understand. If...

Does it frustrate you when you see other software professionals get recognition or opportunities you want? Are you stuck in a software project situation where it feels like you're unable to grow? Let me share some information that will help you advance, but in a healthy way. I'll list 4 tips at the end. Growth and Perks are Abundant Early On When you first start working in software, you'll have re...

Are you trying to get other people to use agile or lean software development methods, but they can't seem to break out of the mindset they're stuck in? Today I'd like to offer some strategies to overcome attachment. Building What Customers Want Takes Failure And Learning Traditional management at many companies focus on predictability. They want to know how long things will take, and how much they...

Do you need to get people to agree and come to consensus so you can grow on your software project, or in your career? Today I'd like to share a few resources, and some simple concepts to consider, when influencing others to make a decision. When I started out in my career, I was a good software developer and could write code and work with many complicated pieces of technology. But I didn't become...

Are you developing software under pressure like a "feature factory", but there never seems to be any economic benefit to the changes? Today I'd like to share some strategies to begin shutting this unhealthy work approach down. The term "feature factory" was coined by  John Cutler , a Senior Product Manager who's worked for several high profile companies. He wrote  an article in the Hackernoon publ...

Do you find it hard to be honest with others about some aspect of developing software? Or maybe you find others are withholding truths, and you wonder why? Today I'd like to share some ways I have been dishonest earlier in my career, and I now see are common in our industry. Not Admitting Being Unfamiliar With Something In short time, we can gain a lot of knowledge about technology and software de...

Would you like to know a little more about who I am, and how my successes and setbacks shaped me into someone who is so passionate about doing less at one time, and embracing uncertainty as part of a lean software development mindset? Today I'd like to share part 3 of my software development journey with you. Agile Theater: Alive And Well What my consulting experience had shown me so far, was that...

Would you like to know a little more about who I am, and how my successes and setbacks shaped me into someone who is so passionate about doing less at one time, and embracing uncertainty as part of a lean software development mindset? Today I'd like to share part 2 of my software development journey with you. Letting Go Of "My Baby" After my first project that was both a product I designed and an...

Would you like to know a little more about who I am, and how my successes and setbacks shaped me into someone who is so passionate about doing less at one time, and embracing uncertainty as part of a lean software development mindset? Today I'd like to share part 1 of my software development journey with you. Lead-up To My First Development Position Though I'd learned some BASIC programming on "ol...

Do your projects move forward with many assumptions that turn out to not be true as things progress? Today I'd like to share how learning of a team failure produces better software when you plan to exploit this ability. The overall assumption that most projects operate under is that the project will be successful. However there are several smaller assumptions upon which this one is built. Often th...

Does it ever seem strange how when talking to other software developers they insist that the processes they use are "the best" but they don't seem to make any sense as to how they could work in your company? Today I'd like to share how uncertainty impacts software development. Whether they realize it or not, many people in companies select processes based on their tolerance for uncertainty. The ex...

Are you confused or frustrated by the amount of energy spent discussing sexism in the workplace and how men are to blame? Today I'd like to offer some insights and opinions that might help men make smarter decisions about how we treat people to make sure we're not damaging our careers and making it difficult for people to work with us. Disclaimer: These Are MY Personal Opinions First a disclaimer....

Do you want to try something new that requires other people to support you? Today I'd like to help you understand how to earn trust for your software development ideas. Honestly Evaluate Your Current Skill Before you begin to win trust for a new idea, you need to be critically honest with yourself about how skilled you are with implementing the idea. It's fun to try new things, and we're never "go...

Are you feeling worried that you won't get what you want out of your career? Today I'd like to share 5 ways to cope with the anxiety of software development. Overcoming Past Failures The first way software development can cause anxiety is when another party you're working with, or perhaps even you, have experienced failures in the past. If you can learn to be OK with having to prove yourself again...

Do you want to help the other people that work with you so they are more fulfilled, and get an opportunity to inspire them? Motivations To Consider Let's start with some of the motivations I think it's important to consider if you want to go about servant leadership. Improve Quality Of Delivery Ultimately, however you serve people still needs to result in improving the quality of delivery. While w...

Are you frustrated that other software developers often belittle each other or have a hard time coming to agreement on seemingly trivial issues? Today I'd like to talk with you about why software developers disagree – and what to do about it! The Fear of Being Misunderstood The first reason I often disagree myself, or see others do so – is due to a fear of being misunderstood. We strive to have ot...

Are you looking for a way to get people with different disciplines to work together better when developing software? Today I'd like to talk about the journey to cross functional development teams and some of the considerations on your way to integration. What Is Cross-Functional Teamwork? Cross-functional teamwork is simply taking people who used to be in separate teams or departments and putting...

Today I'll share what I've learned over 10 years of first being a developer working directly for software companies, and then 10 years working as a software consultant. I hope this helps anyone evaluating the trade offs of a software developer vs consultant, and figuring out what's better for your career. Influence The first consideration is influence. As an employee, your influence can sometimes...