Herding Cats

22 Pages·2013·1.78 MB·English

Herding Cats:
A Primer for
Programmers Who Lead
Programmers
J. HANK RAINWATER
APress Media, LLC
Herding Cats: A Primer for Programmers Who lead Programmers
Copyright© 2002 by J, Hank Rainwater
Originally published by Apress in 2002
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record
ing, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59059-017-1 ISBN 978-1-4302-0830-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4302-0830-3
Trademarked names may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark
symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use the names only in
an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention
of infringement of the trademark.
Editorial Directors: Dan Appleman, Peter Blackburn, Gary Cornell, Jason Gilmore,
Karen Watterson
Technical Reviewer: Dave Christensen
Managing Editor: Grace Wong
Project Manager and Development Editor: 'Ii'acy Brown Collins
Copy Editor: Nicole LeClerc
Production Editor: Kari Brooks
Compositor: Diana Van Wmlde, Van Winkle Design
Illustrators: Melanie Wells; Cara Brunk, Blue Mud Productions
Indexer: Carol Burba
Cover Designer: Tom Debolski
Marketing Manager: Stephanie Rodriguez
The information in this book is distributed on an "as is" basis, without warranty.
Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither
the author nor Apress shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect
to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the
information contained in this work.
To David, my beloved son, your memory inspires me each day. Wish you were here
to laugh with me in all the strange and wonderful hours and days ahead.
His spirit lives on
In the voice of the songbird
In the flash of the firefly
His essence is felt
In the gentle breeze that caresses
With a coolness and flowing grace
Recollecting to us once again
Exactly who he was-
A loving gentle soul embracing life
With the innocence ofa child
The maturity ofa n adult
The wisdom ofa n old soul
Contents at a Glance
Foreword ................................................................................................................ xiii
About the Author ............................................................................................... xvi
About the Technical Reviewer ................................................................... xvii
About the Artist ............................................................................................ xviii
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. xix
Preface ................................................................................................................... xx
Chapter 1: Adapting to Your Leadership Role .................................... 1
Chapter 2: Managing the Leader ............................................................... 21
Chapter 3: Leading the Herd ...................................................................... 41
Chapter 4: Organizing for Success ........................................................ 61
Chapter 5: Managing Meetings .................................................................... 87
Chapter 6: Philosophy and Practice of Technical Leadership ... 103
Chapter 7: Leadership in Eclipse ......................................................... 129
Chapter 8: Leadership Redux .................................................................... 151
Chapter 9: Working with Your Boss ...................................................... 179
Chapter 10: Words without a Song ........................................................... 193
Afterword: Into the Fray .......................................................................... 217
Appendix A: Caring for Your Pet:
The Administrative Director Software ........................ 221
Appendix B: Poking Your Pet in the Eye:
Code Review of the Administrative Director ......... 227
Bibliography: Resources for Cat Herders .......................................... 235
Index ..................................................................................................................... 243
v
Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................................ xiii
About the Author ............................................................................................... xvi
About the Technical Reviewer ................................................................... xvii
About the Artist ............................................................................................ xviii
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. xix
Preface ................................................................................................................... xx
Chapter 1 Adapting to Your Leadership Role ..................... 1
Do Real Leaders Wear Black? .......................................................................... 2
How lnlportant Is Being Cool? .......................................................................... 3
Be More Than Cool: Beware .............................................................................. 4
Leading Weird~ Eccentric~ Strange~ and
Regular Folks into Great Work ..................................................................... 5
Recognizing Programmer Breeds ...................................................................... 6
Working with the Breeds .................................................................................. 12
Glory~ Honor~ and Greenbacks ..................................................................... 15
Motivating with Money .................................................................................... 16
The Thunking Layer ........................................................................................... 17
How Are You Adapting? ..................................................................................... 19
What Lies Ahead .................................................................................................. 20
Chapter 2 Managing the Leader .....................................................2 1
A Look in the Mirror ....................................................................................... 21
and
Heaven~ Hell~ Purgatory~
Your Place in the Software Universe ...................................................... 23
The Nature ofWork Has Changed for You ...................................................... 24
You Must Re-evaluate Success, Passion, and Ambition ................................ 24
Natural Selection and Time .......................................................................... 25
Avoid Unnecessary, Ineffective Meetings ....................................................... 26
Don't Organize Too Little or Too Much .......................................................... 27
Don't Expect IfYou Don't Inspect ................................................................... 27
Plan Your Architecture before Choosing Your Technology ............................ 28
Balance Purity with Practicality ...................................................................... 28
Delegate Tasks, Don't Do Them ....................................................................... 29
Document What You Do or Plan to Do ........................................................... 29
vii
Contents
Measuring Your Productivity ........................................................................ 30
Watching Your Weaknesses .............................................................................. 31
And the Answer Is • . • .. .............................................................................. 34
Putting It All Together ................................................................................ 38
Chapter 3 Leading the Herd ............................................................ .41
Managing Administration ................................................................................ 41
Deflecting Distractions ................................................................................ 44
Dealing with Creeps ......................................................................................... 46
Gathering Strays ............................................................................................... ,51
Danger, Wiil Robinson! ........ ,. ........................................................................ 52
Building and Maintaining Your Staff ...................................................... 53
Hiring Practices ................................................................................................ 53
Firing Practices ..................................... , ........................................................... 56
Promotions and Raises ....................................................................... , ............ 56
Grooming Your Replacement , ......................................................................... 58
Enough Already! ........................................................................................... ,. ..... 58
More to Come ................................................ ,. ...................................................... 59
Chapter 4 Organizing for Success ............................................. 61
Organize Information into Knowledge and Action .............................. 62
The Paper Chase ............................................................................................... 63
The Paperless Chase ......................................................................................... 65
Customize Your Administration ................................................................... 70
Organize to Control ......................................................................................... 71
Information Flow .............................................................................................. 72
Assignments ...................................................................................................... 73
Architecture ...................................................................................................... 73
Working Hours .................................................................................................. 74
Expectations ..................................................................................................... 75
Attitudes ............................................................................................................ 76
Helping Your Company Organize ................................................................... 77
Product Management ...................................................................................... 78
Project Definition ............................................................................................. 79
Process Management ....................................................................................... 80
Testing ............................................................................................................... 82
Facility Management ....................................................................................... 82
At the End of the Day ..................................................................................... 84
Next on the Agenda ........................................................................................... 85
viii
Contents
Chapter 5 Managing Meetings ..........................................................
87
The Weekly Staff Meeting .............................................................................. 87
Leading a Design Meeting .............................................................................. 90
The One-on-One Meeting .................................................................................. 95
Meetings with Other Groups .......................................................................... 97
Project Retrospective Meetings ................................................................. 98
Conference Calls ................................................................................................ 99
In Between Meetings ....................................................................................... 100
Meeting for Consensus and Action ........................................................... 101
Our Next Meeting .............................................................................................. 102
Chapter 6 Philosophy and Practice of
Technical Leadership .................................................
103
Seize and Hold Your Technical Role ...................................................... 103
Construct or Plant? ....................................................................................... 105
The Primacy of Architecture ...................................................................... 106
Design Forces in Architectural Planning ...................................................... 108
Analysis Viewpoints: Managing the Forces .................................................. 1 09
A Fresh Look at Design ................................................................................ 110
Design Step 0 .................................................................................................. 111
Design Step 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 4 ............................................................................. 113
The Code Police ................................................................................................ 118
Enforce the Laws ............................................................................................ 118
Common Violations ....................................................................................... 119
Go to Jail, Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go .............................................. 122
Philosophy in Action ..................................................................................... 123
A Case Study of Philosophy in Action: Leonardo da Vinci .......................... 124
A Dose ofReality ............................................................................................. 126
A Bird's-Eye View ........................................................................................... 126
Leading to Excellence ................................................................................... 127
Chapter 7 Leadership in Eclipse ..............................................
129
The Face of Darkness ..................................................................................... 129
Antipatterns in Management ........................................................................ 130
The Shadow of Micromanagement ................................................................. 132
Advice for the Micromanager ........................................................................ 136
Dimming the Light: Unfocused Managers ................................................ 137
The Blinding Light of Misapplied Genius ........................................... 140
Dark Empire Builders ..................................................................................... 142
ix
Contents
Flirting with Darkness ................................................................................ 144
You've Reached Your limit ............................................................................. 145
You're over Your Head .................................................................................... 145
Criticism Pushes You to Rage ........................................................................ 145
Surviving and Emerging from an Eclipse .............................................. 146
Avoiding Eclipses ........................................................................................... 147
Moving On ............................................................................................................. 149
Chapter 8 Leadership Redux ........................................................... 151
Foundations of Leadership .......................................................................... 151
Understanding ................................................................................................ 152
Communicating ............................................................................................. 154
Delegating ....................................................................................................... 156
Monitoring ...................................................................................................... 158
Participating ................................................................................................... 159
Building Upon the Foundation ................................................................... 161
Mentoring ....................................................................................................... 161
Rewarding ....................................................................................................... 162
Correcting ....................................................................................................... 164
Envisioning ..................................................................................................... 165
Adapting .......................................................................................................... 166
Will They Follow? ........................................................................................... 167
Force ................................................................................................................ 167
Duty ................................................................................................................. 168
Admiration ...................................................................................................... 168
Reward ............................................................................................................. 169
Knowledge ...................................................................................................... 170
Generational Dimensions to Leadership ................................................ 170
Marrying Style to Substance As a Leader ........................................... 172
Andy Grove: Aggressive and Paranoid .......................................................... 173
Bill Gates: Driven and Calculating ................................................................ 174
You: (Fill In the Blank) ............................................................ 174
Summing Up ........................................................................................................... 175
Practice Makes Leadership Real .................................................................... 176
Build on the Cornerstones ............................................................................. 176
A Look Ahead ...................................................................................................... 177
X
Contents
Chapter 9 Working with Your Boss ........................................... 179
Understanding the World of Your Boss .................................................. 179
Honesty and Deadlines or Slips) Lies) and Videotape? ............... 181
Helping Your Boss Plan for Success ...................................................... 183
Knowing Your Limits ....................................................................................... 185
Expecting the Unexpected ............................................................................ 187
Overcoming Organizational Inertia ........................................................ 187
Point Out Industry Trends ............................................................................. 188
Experiment with New Methods and Techniques ......................................... 18 9
Be Sensitive to Timing .................................................................................... 189
Recognize the Customer Is First .................................................................... 190
Summary of Guidelines ................................................................................... 191
The End Is Near ................................................................................................ 192
Chapter 10 Words without a Song .............................................. 193
The Distributed Workforce .......................................................................... 194
The Challenge ................................................................................................. 194
A Solution ........................................................................................................ 195
Multicultural Factors in Management .................................................... 198
Language and Culture .................................................................................... 198
Motivating and Controlling the Team ........................................................... 199
Evaluating Software Development Methodologies .............................. 201
Software Engineering ..................................................................................... 202
Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) ........................................................ 203
Extreme Programming (XP) ........................................................................... 205
Agile Development ......................................................................................... 207
Craftsmanship: The Heart of Any Successful Method ................................. 209
Revolutions in Technology .......................................................................... 210
Economic Woes .................................................................................................... 212
Alone at the Top .............................................................................................. 213
Devoting Time to Research ............................................................................2 13
'fuming Administration into an Engineering Discipline ............................ 214
Making Strategic Planning a Science ............................................................2 14
Learning to Increase the Value ofYour Relationships ................................. 215
Finale ................................................................................................................... 216
xi
Contents
Afterword: Into the Fray ................................................................... 217
The Rudder ........................................................................................................... 217
The Sail ............................................................................................................... 218
The Anchor ........................................................................................................... 219
Appendix A Caring for Your Pet:
The Administrative Director Software ...
221
Appendix 8 Poking Your Pet in the Eye:
Code Review of the
Administrative Director ....................................
227
Context and Origin of the Software ...................................................... 227
The Rules of the Game ................................................................................... 228
Did I Follow Appropriate Standards? ............................................................ 228
What About Cohesion and Coupling? ........................................................... 230
Other Strengths and Weaknesses .................................................................. 232
Summary ................................................................................................................. 233
Bibliography: Resources for Cat Herders ............................
235
Software Development ..................................................................................... 235
The Classics .................................................................................................... 235
Cream of the Crop .......................................................................................... 236
Noteworthy ..................................................................................................... 237
Helpful ............................................................................................................. 240
General Management and Leadership ........................................................ 241
Software Language-Specific Works ........................................................... 241
Miscellaneous Works ....................................................................................... 242
Index ................................................................................................................... 243
xii