Technical excellence, meaning e.g. quality code, sound architecture, good test automation and coverage, continuous integration and continuous deployment, is the pre-requisite of sustainable software development. Sustainability of software development is essential for improving the Return On Investment and extending the life cycle of software products and services.
In my talk I will explain why the majority of organizations is still not making effective management decisions to ensure they get technical excellence.
I will argue that technical excellence is impossible to buy from a software vendor and impossible to enforce in contractual terms.
The other side to this subject is my second argument: the only way to ensure technical excellence is to have a skilled and motivated team that takes responsible of it, and giving that team the responsibility and means to ensure technical excellence
I will go over my personal experiences relating to management decisions regarding technical excellence and illustrate the thinking that is behind the ineffective decision-making related to technical excellence.
In conclusion, I will describe what kind of change of mindset is required for making effective management decisions regarding technical excellence.
8. Examples of Technical Excellence
quality code,
sound architecture,
good test automation and
coverage,
continuous integration and
continuous deployment.
18. Contract with a Warranty Period
We’ll fix all the defects for free
during these periods!
Development
Acceptance
Testing
Support,
warranty period
6 months
19. Contract with a Warranty Period
Development
Acceptance
Testing
Support, warra
nty period
6 months
21. Example from Real Life: The Plan
Product Backlog
Feature 1
15 months
Feature 2
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Feature 6
22. Example from Real Life: The Reality
Product Backlog
Architectural feature I
12 months to
go
Feature 1
Feature 2
Architectural feature II
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Feature 6
23. Example from Real Life: The Decision
Product Backlog
6 months to
go
Architectural feature I
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Duct tape & chewing
Feature 6
gum solutions
27. Traditional Management Paradigm:
Extrinsic motivation
Desire to achieve goal G
Reward result R
Assume R leads to G
Problems with non-linear effects
From Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo
30. New Management Paradigm:
Intrinsic motivation
Desire to achieve goal G
Where G is its own reward
No non-linear effects
From Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo
50. Do not be an order-taker!
Product Backlog
6 months to
go
Architectural feature I
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Duct tape & chewing
Feature 6
gum solutions
51. How to grow development organization?
Shared
Trust enables
Developers can
bring
Motivation
Autonomy
Skills
Understanding
+Understanding
Discipline
+Discipline
Managers
Developers
Business
?
53. Let excellence grow in circles or guilds!
Team A
Team B
DevOps
Circle
Team C
Team D
54. Houston Inc. Frontend Circle
Outside
world
Outside
frontend
scene
Houston
Inc.
Feedback
Idea
s
Conferences +
events
Frontend
Circle
Visibility
Training
Board of
directors
Houston
Personne
l
Customer
s & sales
58. Emphasis on Flow over Batches
Photo by DanielePeople10
Infographic from Zedda
59. Old approaches do not solve the problem
Processes and
policies
Contract clauses
Business value
prioritization
60. Traditional Management Paradigm:
Extrinsic motivation
Desire to achieve goal G
Reward result R
Assume R leads to G
Problems with non-linear effects
From Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo
61. New Management Paradigm:
Intrinsic motivation
Desire to achieve goal G
Where G is its own reward
No non-linear effects
From Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo
62. Emphasis on Flow over Batches
Understanding
Photo by DanielePeople10
Infographic from Zedda