Fallacies of Software Development

This talk is a plea for developers to focus on the more important aspects of our professional lives. Let's focus less on making the same mistakes we've always made with new technologies like React and Node.js. Let's focus less on "doing the Agile". Let's focus more on becoming better people who happen to write good software.

Transcript

1. of Software Developers Fallacies
2. My name is Todd Kaufman
   Please tweet me @toddkaufman &
   Say hello@testdouble.com
3. We don’t have a problem with software development!
4. The United States economy loses $50-$150 billion per year due to failed IT projects. - Gallup Business Review
5. One in six IT projects have an average cost overrun of 200% and a schedule overrun of 70% - Harvard Business Review
6. Fewer than a third of all projects were successfully completed on time and on budget over the past year. - Standish Group
7. 75% of business and IT executives anticipate their software projects will fail. - Geneca
13. Where I work doesn’t matter
20. When I work doesn’t matter
21. Ego/Cognitive Depletion
23. 8:00am - Start Coding
24. 8:45am - Find Bug
25. 9:30am - Standup Meeting
26. 10:00am - Draft Email
27. 10:30am - All hands meeting
29. 90 Minutes focused 20 minutes off
30. Embrace a longer break
31. Separate Work Appropriately
32. 12 hours a day doesn’t work
33. Don’t assume 9am - 5pm
34. Who I work with doesn’t matter
35. “Negativity kills innovation” - Venkat Subramaniam
36. Values
37. Driven Continuous Improvement Open and Honest Empathetic Autonomous Accountable Knowledge Sharing
38. Purpose
41. Shipping fast is more important than shipping well
42. Speed Quality vs
43. Speed
44. Quality
45. Every problem is best solved using <technology X>
46. Progressive Efficient vs
47. Efficient
48. Progressive
49. The most clever solution is the best
50. Clever Clear vs
51. Clever
52. Clear
53. Successful Teams Normalize
54. Maintenance Costs Build Costs over
56. Developers are great at communication!
58. “As a matter of fact the software field is dominated by introverts, who typically have difficulty in communicating with the user.”
59. “In short, developers are highly competent, driven by technical achievement, and skeptical of everything. These traits make communication challenging.”
61. “Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.” - Colin Powell
62. “Sure that’s no problem” - worst developer ever
63. My technical skills make my career, I don’t need to worry about empathy
64. users
66. stakeholders
67. #noestimates
68. #noestimates = #noempathy
69. project managers
70. #noestimates = #nobludgeoning
71. I don’t need humility I’m the best developer I know!
72. Impostor Syndrome
73. Dunning Kruger
75. I know as much about this business as my client does
76. I can’t learn anything from a junior developer
77. I’m an architect, I can’t be bothered with coding
78. "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance” - Confucius
80. 1.) Assume It’s a you problem
81. 1.) Assume it’s a you problem 2.) Assume it’s not technical
82. 1.) Assume it’s a you problem 2.) Assume it’s not technology 3.) Enact change
83. Microchip by Rabee Balakrishnan from the Noun Project Earth by David Ly from the Noun Project group by Gregory Radek from the Noun Project group by Lorenzo Baldini from the Noun Project planking by @StuCommNL from twitter cube farm by dfb from flickr Battery by Ramakrishna Venkatesan from the Noun Project Reading by James Fenton from the Noun Project Running by Kevin Laity from the Noun Project Email by Chameleon Design from the Noun Project Arrow by Veronika Krpciarova from the Noun Project
84. Say hello@testdouble.com @testdouble
85. 204 DAYS #gobucks
86. Thank you! @toddkaufman