Week 1, 2020: Random stolen gems of Software Engineering

Disclaimer: Sorry, this is not an original post, but merely a compilation of some random software engineering things I came across this week. Mostly, writing it as a weekly journal page.

On Culture

https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664

• 9 things to look for in a team member: Judgement, Communication, Impact, Curiosity, Innovation, Courage, Passion, Honesty, Selflessness
• Great workplace = Stunning Colleagues period.
• We’re a team, not a family: except no competition among team members
• Responsible people thrive on freedom, and worthy of freedom
• A good process helps talented people get more done; bad one tries to prevent recoverable mistakes
• If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• Your economic security based on your skills and reputation
• Company doesn’t have to be for life
• Promotion: 1) Job big enough, 2) Superstar in the current role, 3) Role model of culture and values

On Scrum and Software engineering

https://speakerdeck.com/cromwellryan/avoiding-scrummerfall

• Less the business cares, the more nervous you should be.
• Avoid stabilization sprints!
• 80% of each story means nothing is done.

https://speakerdeck.com/julienhenzelin/scrum-adapted-to-micro-teams-the-liquid-concepts-way

• Lean, eliminate waste,
• How to see waste: It shows up 1) when you leave partially done, 2) if you do something worthless, 3) if you do something unnecessary
• Grab every opportunity to amplify learning; it works through feedbacks, interactions, and integrity
• Choose as late as possible: It could add costs but far less than a wrong decision
• Deliver as fast as possible: It helps you change your mind and correct errors
• Learn how to delegate: It helps your team and client to take responsibility
• Don’t sacrifice quality: it costs too much later in the project
• Believe in the potential of the people you work with
• Stimulate knowledge sharing to improve the average skills in the team

https://speakerdeck.com/barryovereem/the-scrum-master-as-a-change-facilitator

• You can’t make plants grow faster by pulling them ~ African Proverb

https://speakerdeck.com/fabioarmani/scrum-buts-but-scrum-which-is-worse

On how to leap to tech lead

https://speakerdeck.com/cromwellryan/making-the-leap-to-tech-lead

• A tech lead is measured by the success of the team
• A tech lead empowers and unlocks the team through communication, leadership, technical skill, and impact.