Loosely Coupled

A recent reorg at my company left me with a new manager - and a different approach to software development than my team had been previously following.  Our new approach is one that I don’t necessarily agree with, but it led me to think about - and reevaluate -  those tenets of software development that I think are important and that I believe lead to increased quality and productivity. This post will consist of fairly high level discussions about how to organize code, teams, and projects - but contain very little actual code. Many of these ideas will not be my own.  They are mostly ideas I’ve learned from others and their willingness to share their experiences with me.  They are, however, ideas that I’ve practiced and hardened as I’ve worked to build my own ideal environment for delivering value through software . Many of these ideas I now take for granted as commonplace (even though they aren’t).  I felt a need to document them anyway - so people can understand what to expect (a

Interesting article on Forbes titled " Top Ten Reasons Why Large Companies Fail To Keep Their Best Talent ". As a person whose changed jobs a number of times in my career, many of these items rang true. Here are the ones I identified most closely with: 1. Bureaucracy - it a shame when corporate politics and policies get in the way of delivering the best products we can to our customers. This drives me crazy! 3. No Performance Reviews - we crave feedback on our work. We want to know if we're doing a good job and how we can do an even better job. 4. Lack of Career Development - who wouldn't want to hear that they fit into the company's future plans? 7. Tolerating Mediocrity - there's a reason why the Yankees are "The Yankees". Everyone wants to work with the best and for the best. "A rising tide lifts all boats" but when members of a team aren't accountable for pulling their weight, it can really sink morale and productiv