How to Motivate Your Developers

Transcript

1. FooLab How to Motivate Your Developers Northeast PHP Conference -

   August 12, 2012 Sunday, August 12, 2012

2. FooLab Disclaimer My advice does not work in all cases.

   Don’t blindly “cut-paste”. Sunday, August 12, 2012

3. FooLab Issues With Devs • Hard to recruit • Work

   on low-priority tasks • Lack of progress • Low quality results • Lack of cooperation (tasks, directives) • Resign for unclear reason 3 Sunday, August 12, 2012

4. FooLab Not always by choice It’s a product of the

   environment Sunday, August 12, 2012

5. FooLab How do they perform on their pet projects? Sunday,

   August 12, 2012

6. FooLab Anna Filina 6 • PHP Quebec - user group

   • ConFoo - non for profit Web conference • FooLab Inc. - IT consulting • I write code. • I train and supervise programmers. • I make recommendations. Sunday, August 12, 2012

7. FooLab Survival Kit Sunday, August 12, 2012

8. FooLab Salary • A study in Quebec shows it’s #1

   • For free, they’ll work on what they want • Pay enough 8 Sunday, August 12, 2012

9. FooLab Positive Culture • Would you enjoy working for yourself?

   • Proud of their job • Grab a beer with them 9 Sunday, August 12, 2012

10. FooLab Communication • Feedback is underrated • Can they be

    honest with you? • Can they be honest with the team? • Can they speak with teammates any time? 10 Sunday, August 12, 2012

11. FooLab Phobias Sunday, August 12, 2012

12. FooLab Kansas City Collapse 12 • Deadliest structural collapse in

    US history • 114 dead • 216 injured • Due to a design change Sunday, August 12, 2012

13. FooLab Changeophobia • Change design before you code • Check

    impact on other requirements • Keep project’s objectives in mind • Stay focused on priorities 13 Sunday, August 12, 2012

14. FooLab Ambiguophobia • Unclear goals • “Let’s go over the

    bug tracker” • Know your enemy (performance, spaghetti) • Set goals: measurable, attainable, deadline • No deadline = no requirement 14 Sunday, August 12, 2012

15. FooLab Deadlineophobia • Arbitrary deadlines • Consult devs before promising

    to client • Friday deployments • Overtime: they have nothing better to do, right? 15 Sunday, August 12, 2012

16. FooLab Blameophobia • So they screwed up • Laying blame

    (berate for 20 min) • It’s everyone’s problem • Focus on solutions: who has skill to fix? • Don’t live in fear 16 Sunday, August 12, 2012

17. FooLab Meetingophobia • How often? • How long? • How

    crowded? • 20 people bouncing ideas for hours every week • Follow outline: did we digress? • Kill monologues and one-on-one conversations 17 Sunday, August 12, 2012

18. FooLab Small Wins Sunday, August 12, 2012

19. FooLab Visible Progress • Life is about the next achievement

    • Break into smaller goals • Badge at every step • Can increase difficulty over time 19 Sunday, August 12, 2012

20. FooLab Junior Developers Sunday, August 12, 2012

21. FooLab Limited Skills • They can write code • Don’t

    ask them to solve complex problems: optimize database • Assign a more skilled dev • Show them how to use the tools 21 Sunday, August 12, 2012

22. FooLab Proving Skills • Let them have an opinion •

    Explain why they’re wrong • They don’t ask questions • Afraid to look bad, they feel tested • Check progress to avoid blocks • Invite them to ask simple questions 22 Sunday, August 12, 2012

23. FooLab Know Not What to Do • Can’t guess tasks

    • Clear objectives, deadlines, priorities 23 Sunday, August 12, 2012

24. FooLab Need Validation • Tap on the shoulder when they

    do well • Code review; be gentle and ignore non-issues • Tell them what they could do better 24 Sunday, August 12, 2012

25. FooLab Expert Developers Sunday, August 12, 2012

26. FooLab Drive The Project • IE6 compatibility • Don’t distract;

    write some docs • Don’t switch their focus • Avoid low-level tasks • They’re analysts and problem solvers 26 Sunday, August 12, 2012

27. FooLab Extinguish Fires • Constant fires will drain and piss

    them off • Let others fix a few bugs • Offload simpler tasks • Let them train others • Give them vacation time 27 Sunday, August 12, 2012

28. FooLab Need Tools • They want to be more productive

    • Pay the darn license • Online collaboration • Let them pick the tools 28 Sunday, August 12, 2012

29. FooLab Micro Managemet • Time sheets documenting every task (movie

    commentator) • Experts can manage their own time • Give them autonomy; keep an eye on ROI 29 Sunday, August 12, 2012

30. FooLab Difficult Cases Sunday, August 12, 2012

31. FooLab Characters • Make people uncomfortable • Think they are

    better • Pair with patient dev to cool them • Don’t let them cross the line 31 Sunday, August 12, 2012

32. FooLab A-holes • Waste time on endless debates • Create

    discord or tension between teammates • Oppressing or humiliating the weak • Drain energy • Educate or kick 32 Sunday, August 12, 2012

33. FooLab Emotionally Unstable • Psychos happen • Capable of verbal

    and physical violence • Worst thing that can happen to your team • Everyone is scared • Don’t wait: kick 33 Sunday, August 12, 2012

34. FooLab Let’s Reduce Tension 34 Sunday, August 12, 2012

35. FooLab Unskilled • Make mistakes; you fix them • Start

    many tasks without finishing • Drain energy • Don’t keep them out of pity • Train if salvageable 35 Sunday, August 12, 2012

36. FooLab Easy Shots Still Work Sunday, August 12, 2012

37. FooLab Accommodation • Respect religion / family / health constraints

    • Help people learn the language • Let the shy speak without interruption • What about watching their country in finals? 37 Sunday, August 12, 2012

38. FooLab Gadgets • Desk name plates • Nerf Guns •

    Video games on big screens • Ideas on thinkgeek.com 38 Sunday, August 12, 2012

39. FooLab Conferences and Activities • Most kids enjoyed school trips

    • It’s a break + productivity increase • Beer is a sure value • Let them pick activities • No activities on weekends 39 Sunday, August 12, 2012

40. FooLab Next Steps • I will tweet the slides: @afilina

    • Please leave feedback: http://joind.in/6842 40 Sunday, August 12, 2012

41. FooLab Ask me how many hours my employee works Sunday,

    August 12, 2012