Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

In this episode, we continue a walk through the twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto.  The second principle focuses on change and how it can be a competitive advantage.  Changing requirements can be a headache and cause slippage.  However, adapting to them can be a game-changer. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. Satisfy The Customer I want to start the discussion about changing requirements with a call-back to our first principle.  Our primary focus is on satisfying the customer.  Therefore changing requirements signal a change in what is needed to satisfy them.  We may find these alterations frustrating and might even experience over-runs based on them.  Nevertheless, we must adapt if satisfaction is our priority. The Competitive Advantage The idea of an agile approach being an advantage applies to far beyond software development.  Agile athletes can dodge blows in boxing or tackles in football.  Likewise, they can perform gymnastic feats and score goals.  Similarly, agile organizations can adapt to the market quickly.  Therefore, you often hear about nimble start-ups that "pivot" and grab a market lead.  When agility is so valuable in most environments, it only makes sense for us to give that to our customers.  We adapt to changing requirements to help them be successful.  That goes a long way in providing satisfaction. Even Late In Development I almost chuckle at this line.  Do any of us run into changing requirements in the first half of a project?  Yes, sometimes we do.  However, it seems like late in development is the prime spot for these alterations to occur.  Maybe they are just more noticeable.  They are more costly.  Just as bugs are more expensive to fix, the later they are found, requirements are harder to adapt to later in the process.  This timing is a challenge that provides an opportunity to make a significant impact on satisfaction.  Embrace these obstacles and satisfy your customers. The Twelve Principles and Overall Manifesto

We start our focus on the Agile Manifesto with a deep dive into the twelve principles they address.  Thus, we begin at the first principle and will focus on that one in this episode.  This point also gives us a foundation of trying to satisfy the customer. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Satisfy The Customer Anyone that tells you Agile is primarily about anything other than the customer is misinformed.  The first item states that the highest priority is the customer.  Not only that but satisfying them.  Therefore, we are not focused on meeting requirements or even an incredible design.  Customer satisfaction is number one.  Many things go into achieving that.  However, the "why" of any software product is to satisfy the customer.  Keep that in mind as we work through the twelve principles.  Do not worry. We will be reminded of that "why" along the way. Early and Continuous Delivery Modern software development often embraces this pair of suggestions.  We are hard-pressed to open an article on software development that does not mention CI/CD or Dev Ops.  Either everyone is wrong, or this is a recipe for success. It can seem unpleasant to take this approach.  We could liken it to children on a trip asking, "are we there yet?"  However, a clear and continuous conversation about a solution is constructive.  Software is sophisticated, and showing progress can help educate the customer on what is possible and the user experience.  These are essential factors in a solution that satisfies. A Tight Focus Software development is complex.  However, that does not mean the process has to be complicated.  We can simplify things by taking small bites.  A recommended approach is assessing small steps.  We achieve this by providing incremental changes for the customer to review.  They get something easy to understand and see in the grand scheme of things.  Likewise, we avoid long periods without feedback.  Those periods can be useful.  On the other hand, they can allow us to veer far from the desired path. The Twelve Principles and Overall Manifesto

The Agile Manifesto was a game-changing paper many years ago.  That impact is still felt today.  However, there are a lot of thoughts that are expressed that are often lost.  In this season of becoming a better developer, we look at all of the truths this short document highlights.  There are twelve principles that are worth digging into. This approach will help us look for ways to learn from those that went before us. The Agile Manifesto Launched Many Modern Processes A large portion of modern development theory points back to this document.  We perform many tasks that can be directly linked back to suggestions from the twelve principles.  Examples include CI/CD, sprints, scrum, and many others.  That does not mean these ideas did not also come from other sources.  Agile just happened to contribute heavily to the adoption of them.  With that in mind, it seems we should all have a solid understanding of this foundational document. More Than Documentation A common misconception we will correct is the idea that Agile can be boiled down to a desire to avoid design and documentation.  That is not the focus of the agile manifesto.  If you want to boil down this document to one thought, it is that customer satisfaction should be the focus.  Software development is not different from other products and services.  The customer is always right, even when they do not know how to achieve their goals.  We cannot tell the customer what they need.  Instead, we need to listen and help craft a solution that genuinely satisfies what the customer needs. Productive or Busy One of the things I have learned as I have reviewed these principles is that they point to a common struggle in productivity guides.  There is a difference in being busy and being productive.  One does not necessarily equate to the other.  The Agile Manifesto provides us several ways to focus on being productive, avoid busywork, and get a solution built sooner rather than later. The Twelve Principles and Overall Manifesto

Most of us are technical in our background and focus.  However, we have many facets of business we need to understand to be successful.  The area of business agreements can be confusing and seem overly formal.  Nevertheless, the documents related to this area are an essential part of clear communication and protecting the parties covered. Read The Fine Print First, let's focus on the risks of signing business agreements.  It is not at all uncommon to be asked to sign a non-disclosure or non-compete agreement.  These often are mostly boilerplate and legalese.  However, there will be critical portions of these documents you need to understand completely.  These portions are the ones that define restrictions placed on you. The scope of topics covered. What is the timeframe for the document to be in effect? (expires in a year, two years, etc.) How existing knowledge or products are impacted A well-written agreement will address the area of work you do for a client as precisely as possible.  Thus, the business of EMR applications focused on providers would be a reasonable scope.  On the other hand, all healthcare-related software would be over-reaching.  You need to be able to continue to work for a living once your current employment or contract ends. Expectations and Compensation While many business agreements are crafted to protect the member parties, there are also a lot of details that define the work and pay.  This area is another essential part of setting clear goals and expectations.  A legal argument about compensation might be just one of the things you avoid.  I cannot begin to add up the wasted hours I have witnessed over the years related to expectations.  There should always be a clear definition of the work provided, the compensation rewarded, and any related time frames. These factors are not just required for fixed-bid projects.  Even simple time and material projects where the agreement is X dollars paid for Y hours worked can get out of hand.  There are several questions you need to be able to answer in these situations. Are there budget limitations (weekly hour limits, total spend, etc.)? How does reporting and invoicing need to work? Is a signature required or other forms of confirmation of hours worked? What are the payment terms? How should the invoice through to payment work? Are there any expectations for overtime pay or refunded hours? These are just a few questions to address while you are getting started.  They can be painful to the point of destroying a business relationship when left unhandled until an issue comes up. Clear Communication The last point to make is that business agreements are only the beginning. They provide a roadmap to doing business and providing a solution.  If you do not follow through on your promises, you can expect problems.  That is not to say that those agreements are not open to change or translation.  Be clear in your goals, progress, and any required modifications to your initial proposal.  This open communication will allow everyone to address obstacles before they become too big to overcome. Learn more: Consulting Invoices and Getting Paid

This episode sees a return to the work involved in writing a book.  First, you should consider aiming for this lofty goal.  It is not as monumental as it seems and can be a substantial confidence-booster.  Not everyone writes a book, and we have a wealth of topics from which to choose.  We also have short-form options like an e-book.  You can even attempt a children's book.  The opportunities are endless. Choose A Topic The first step is often the hardest.  That is the case when writing a book.  It is not trivial to select a topic for your book, whether it is short or a novel.  Nevertheless, this is an essential step in writing and a task that is worth completing.  I have found in my experience that selecting a topic is a morale-booster of sorts.  I have often immediately afterward had an urge to put pen to paper.  The story or progression seems to form as part of the selection process.  This side effect can get you started without writer's block. Writing Has Momentum An outline is a standard tool for writing a book or any other communication.  That framework gives us a mechanism for hanging our ideas on.  I do not find many people that also mention how writing has momentum.  Once you start putting vague ideas on paper via an outline, they often lead to other thoughts or details.  The topic can flesh itself out in your head. Then you have a flood of content available to help you write more pages than you planned or expected.  This surprise is one of the reasons I think writing to a length-based goal is not helpful.  When you leave the scope open, you can thoroughly cover your desired topic. Use The Tools Available The life of a writer sitting at a scroll or even a typewriter should be history.  While these tools may have their appeal, they are not the most productive ones available.  We have a wealth of expertise and instant editor feedback available.  Use tools like Grammarly to make yourself a better writer and easily correct typos, spelling errors, and even common grammar mistakes.  You can dramatically improve the quality of your writing with a minimal investment of time.  That is a no-brainer decision for me. Learn more: Writing A Book – What You Should Know Before You Begin

The intermission between seasons comes at a time where a retrospective seems appropriately placed.  This episode focuses on creating a podcast and some of the key steps I take to get that task done.  I decided to skip a technical laundry list and instead provide helpful hints.  My goal is to provide content that will help you get your podcast off the ground. A Quiet Environment It may seem obvious to recommend a quiet environment.  However, a checklist may help you with this.  I have learned from experience that it is easy to forget things that cause interruptions.  Here is an example from my environment. Shut the office doors. Put the phone on vibrate and place it away from the desk and microphone. Mute the laptop and computer warning noises (volume to zero). Do a sound check and listen for undesired sounds (fans, machine sounds, etc.). Adjust volume/sensitivity to suit the desired levels fo the recording. Your environment may vary, and the time of day you record may be a factor.  It can be annoying to work around construction or yard workers during the day and kids or pets at any time. Writing or Recording First One choice to make in creating a podcast is whether to write an episode and roughly read from that.  On the other hand, one can record and then build a post around the recording.  Of course, you do not have to create a full post for each episode.  However, that is something I have found valuable in providing an easy-to-search approach to audio content. I have tried both of these approaches and prefer the record-first approach.  Nevertheless, your tastes may differ, and I recommend trying both.  Your comfort level with the content and presenting ideas can make one of these options a better match to your needs. Build In A Buffer None of us do our best work when we hurry.  We also want to produce podcast episodes on a steady schedule.  These two can combine to a choice among bad options.  The better approach is to record and prep episodes significantly in advance of a due date.  This recommendation may feel like avoiding cramming the night before a test.  It is.  There are too many ways to cut corners and reduce quality when you get in a pinch.  The best way to avoid those quality hits is to give yourself enough time to do the job right.  You are spending time creating content.  Therefore, you should make something you are proud of. If you want some example podcasts to spawn ideas, here is an article to help you.

We come to the close of another season.  The focus for the last series of episodes has been positivity.  Therefore, I hope you have shifted to a more optimistic approach to life after these topics.  It is too easy to find the negatives in any situation.  However, the work and effort you put into finding upsides in an activity or event are worth the effort. You Find What You Look For One of the things about humans that fascinates me is our ability to shift viewpoints and completely change a situation.  Politics is one of the most blatant of these situations.   Take any politician and some things they have said then listen to the response from the two parties (in the U.S. arena).  The views can often be as different as night and day.  However, it all comes down to the point of view.  When we take that into account, it is worth attempting to adjust our viewpoint in ways that make us happy and productive A Healthy Choice There are countless medical articles on the health benefits of being happy.  With that in mind, why would you not want to find ways to increase your happiness.  Once you go down that road, you have two options.  You can increase the number of events in your life that make you happy, and you can reduce the ones that suck away your happiness.  Our jobs consume a lot of our time.  Therefore, that is an area where we can make considerable strides in happiness.  When things go well at work, we are generally happier.  Likewise, when things are not going well, it shows. A Positivity Impact The goal in this season was to make you a better developer by helping you find more joy in your work and reasons to look forward to each day.  All of this goes beyond the simple goal of reducing your headaches.  When you look for the positives, you are looking for ways to become a better developer, even in the most challenging situations.  These little victories add up. Episode Challenge: Has this season made you (even a little bit) more optimistic?  Has that helped your satisfaction in life? Read more about advancing your career.

In a season full of positive points, the list of experienced worker benefits is one of the easiest to put together.  We might not see any negatives in these workers.  Unfortunately, they are human and have flaws, much like the rest of us.  Some of these issues are specific to veteran workers.  Think about the idea of getting in a rut, phoning it in, or otherwise getting set in your ways.  However, we will not focus on these issues and will stay on the positive side of things. Been There, Done That The most valuable of experienced worker benefits is the ability to lean on past actions.  Whether these ended up in success or failure, they all work to help us get to a destination faster.  The maze analogy probably works best for this factor.  When you know some paths lead to a dead-end, then you can avoid them.  Beginners may convince us to "take the scenic route" by heading down dead-end roads.  While that has some value, we typically want to get a solution done sooner rather than later. Understanding And Mitigating Risk When we have a broader experience in any area, we also have a sense of where risks are.  This sense becomes almost second nature.  That is one of the often-overlooked experienced worker benefits.  In the world of superheroes, this would be called their "spidey-sense."  It does not rise to the level of walking through a minefield with a map.  Nevertheless, it is similar to knowing the rough outline of a mined area.  These people are better at accessing risk than their newbie counterparts. The Final 20 Percent We have talked about the Pareto principle many times.  Our focus has been on the "easy" eighty percent of the solution.  However, there is that pesky final twenty percent that also has to be addressed.  That is where experienced people work best.  They have skills and past projects to build on.  While they still may not easily tackle the problematic parts of the project, they do allow for others to cover the first eighty percent.  That can be the difference between overall success and failure. Episode Challenge: Are you the best at your role that you can be? Read more about advancing your career.

We all are beginners in our careers at some point.  Some of us even do so multiple times.  We are not entirely green a second time.  However, we may be new to organizations or environments many times throughout our journey.  While they can be a burden, there are also upsides of entry-level workers.  Let's look at a few of the benefits they bring with them. They Have Not Settled In A knock against veteran workers is that they tend to get too comfortable in their jobs.  They have done what they need to do many times and thus can almost work on auto-pilot.  True this situation can be highly productive.  On the other hand, it can fall behind the times and be less than it could be.  When we stop getting better, we get worse.  That is the nature of the modern world and maybe humanity's existence as a whole. Learning and Questions The "new guy" is much more likely to ask questions.  They have things to learn, and questions are an excellent mechanism for doing so.  That helps the inquisitor learn something new, and it can spark understanding in others.  When we are asked to present an idea we usually take for granted, it can cause us to re-examine that topic.  Simple questions like, "why do you do it that way?" can start us down a path to no learning and epiphany.  It is not much different from polishing silver that has been laying around a while.  You do not always notice how far you have settled into mediocrity until you are asked to examine where you came from. Use Resources Responsibly There is a long list of upsides of entry-level workers that occur when you put the right people in the right place.  Every team has different needs, and the members fill in those gaps based on their skills.  When a team works best, each person is in a place that is most effective for their skills and experience.  That includes situations where you have a mix of senior staff, juniors, and many points between.  Therefore, we have tasks most teams need to complete that are ideally suited for entry-level staff. Grunt work is an example.  However, new staff members are often better at testing and documentation.  These are tasks that can be biased or impeded by "knowing" too much.  It is not different from blind and double-blind experiments. Episode Challenge: When was your last mentor experience?  Did you thank them for it? Read more about advancing your career.

Any event that distracts us from work can be seen as a negative.  That goes for both paperwork and in-person activities.  However, there are benefits of status meetings and reporting that make this time well spent.  These benefits may require some consideration to list them.  Thus, these are good for us to cover in a season focused on positives. A Chance To Take A Breath One of the often-ignored benefits of status meetings or similar tasks is that it forces us to pick our heads up.  That act alone can be a game-changer.  Think about the sad example of a runner that is focused on racing forward but fails to see the rapidly approaching obstacle.  When we put blinders on, we can be productive.  On the other hand, we can miss critical points required for our success.  Sometimes an interruption provides us a way to "take a deep breath" and ensure we are on the correct course. Plan, Plan, Plan We have often listed the benefits of planning.  Status reporting is a planning activity.  Even better, it combines reviewing past successes (or failures) with future plans.  These two activities combine to help us improve our estimates and time management.  As they say, "what is not measured is not managed."  That means we will not grow if we do not spend time evaluating our plans.  This benefit takes some time to come to fruition.  However, it is an essential improvement and step in becoming a better developer. Accountability It is one thing to plan on doing something and another to tell others.  When we tell others of our plans, it adds a level of accountability.  This outcome is one of the best benefits of status meetings and similar activities.  We are not all self-starters, but even those personality types can benefit from a push.  That is what accounting for our plans provides.  We have others to report to that we do not want to disappoint.  Good news is fun to share.  Failures and bad news are not things we want to communicate.  That gives us a mild carrot-and-stick approach to getting things done. Episode Challenge: Review your status template and update it if it can use some tweaks to improve it. Read more about advancing your career.