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What's the best way, as a developer who realizes these things are important, to end up on a team that also does? I've tried working at agencies who were middle
by lotyrin 11y ago
What's the best way, as a developer who realizes these things are important, to end up on a team that also does?
I've tried working at agencies who were middle men as you described and faced economic problem of the OP article -- if the client couldn't provide real specs and communicate effectively, who cares -- we just have to bill and make payroll.
I've tried working inside organizations to build things, but they're in a sadder economic situation generally -- they get forced to have built a team because outsourcing failed due to working with agencies like the above, but they aren't a software company and don't have the budget or skills required to build and manage a complete software team.
- d4nt 11y agoI sympathise. I think the best way is to ask lots of questions in your interview. Developers are in demand, so asking some probing questions about the process is not going to hurt your chances at all. If anything it'll improve your standing. Ask about the development process, what documentation gets produced, and what tools they use. Then listen carefully to the answer. Ignore the buzz words, and focus on actual tangible artifacts. Saying "we're agile" or drawing a flow chart on the white board doesn't mean anything. Can they show you the scope of the current sprint? A Kanban board? A burndown chart? Some wireframe drawings? If they can't show you anything tangible, that's a warning sign.
- lotyrin 11y agoThis is a good point. I will definitely be asking for tangibles. My last position actually lied (or somehow thought there was ambiguity in how they could answer "Do you do QA? Do you have a QA team?").