How to Motivate Your Developers

FooLab

How to Motivate Your DevelopersNortheast PHP Conference - August 12, 2012

Sunday, August 12, 2012

FooLab

DisclaimerMy advice does not work in all cases.Don’t blindly “cut-paste”.

FooLabIssues 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

FooLab

Not always by choiceIt’s a product of the environment

FooLab

How do they perform on their pet projects?

FooLabAnna Filina

• 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.

FooLab

Survival Kit

FooLabSalary

• A study in Quebec shows it’s #1

• For free, they’ll work on what they want

• Pay enough

FooLabPositive Culture

• Would you enjoy working for yourself?

• Proud of their job

• Grab a beer with them

FooLabCommunication

• Feedback is underrated

• Can they be honest with you?

• Can they be honest with the team?

• Can they speak with teammates any time?

FooLab

Phobias

FooLabKansas City Collapse

• Deadliest structural collapse in US history

• 114 dead

• 216 injured

• Due to a design change

FooLabChangeophobia

• Change design before you code

• Check impact on other requirements

• Keep project’s objectives in mind

• Stay focused on priorities

FooLabAmbiguophobia

• Unclear goals

• “Let’s go over the bug tracker”

• Know your enemy (performance, spaghetti)

• Set goals: measurable, attainable, deadline

• No deadline = no requirement

FooLabDeadlineophobia

• Arbitrary deadlines

• Consult devs before promising to client

• Friday deployments

• Overtime: they have nothing better to do, right?

FooLabBlameophobia

• 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

FooLabMeetingophobia

• 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

FooLab

Small Wins

FooLabVisible Progress

• Life is about the next achievement

• Break into smaller goals

• Badge at every step

• Can increase difficulty over time

FooLab

Junior Developers

FooLabLimited 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

FooLabProving 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

FooLabKnow Not What to Do

• Can’t guess tasks

• Clear objectives, deadlines, priorities

FooLabNeed Validation

• Tap on the shoulder when they do well

• Code review; be gentle and ignore non-issues

• Tell them what they could do better

FooLab

Expert Developers

FooLabDrive 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

FooLabExtinguish 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

FooLabNeed Tools

• They want to be more productive

• Pay the darn license

• Online collaboration

• Let them pick the tools

FooLabMicro Managemet

• Time sheets documenting every task (movie commentator)

• Experts can manage their own time

• Give them autonomy; keep an eye on ROI

FooLab

Difficult Cases

FooLabCharacters

• Make people uncomfortable

• Think they are better

• Pair with patient dev to cool them

• Don’t let them cross the line

FooLabA-holes

• Waste time on endless debates

• Create discord or tension between teammates

• Oppressing or humiliating the weak

• Drain energy

• Educate or kick

FooLabEmotionally Unstable

• Psychos happen

• Capable of verbal and physical violence

• Worst thing that can happen to your team

• Everyone is scared

• Don’t wait: kick

FooLabLet’s Reduce Tension

FooLabUnskilled

• Make mistakes; you fix them

• Start many tasks without finishing

• Drain energy

• Don’t keep them out of pity

• Train if salvageable

FooLab

Easy Shots Still Work

FooLabAccommodation

• Respect religion / family / health constraints

• Help people learn the language

• Let the shy speak without interruption

• What about watching their country in finals?

FooLabGadgets

• Desk name plates

• Nerf Guns

• Video games on big screens

• Ideas on thinkgeek.com

FooLabConferences 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

FooLabNext Steps

• I will tweet the slides: @afilina

• Please leave feedback: http://joind.in/6842

FooLab

Ask me how many hours my employee works

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