4 ms·

as fouc noted in a sibling comment, you shouldn't need to ask for permission to talk to customers if the organization is truly agile. however, the product owner

as fouc noted in a sibling comment, you shouldn't need to ask for permission to talk to customers if the organization is truly agile. however, the product owner (which i've been in various capacities) should bring a lot of customer information to the table so you can focus most of your time on development. it's unfortunate that your organizational structure prevents you from doing so.

kashyapc 8y ago
Even if a "Product Owner" brings a lot of customer information, it is still damn important for those developers who are genuinely willing (and able), to interact with customers—even if it is only via medium-bandwidth tools like video calls. Developers should not worry about spending some time talking to users.
- clairity 8y ago
  we are not "disagreeing" that develoeprs have freedom to talk to customers. but if a developer spends most of their time doing something other than development, there are other inefficiencies going on.
  - wbl 8y ago
    Understanding the problem is development.
  - kashyapc 8y ago
    I know we agree on some level. Still, I can't help but feel like you have a somewhat narrow definition of "developer". A thoughtful senior developer who is in it for the long-run (read 15–30 years), and thinks in terms of "building a craft" will (and must) aim for a more well-rounded set of skills (that does not involve "development" in the narrow sense of hurling code)—e.g. giving high-quality technical talks that provide durable value, high-bandwidth interactions with customers and users, writing specifications, bringing multiple technical teams together to architect features and solutions (which requires careful and effective communication), and so forth. Related: You might've already come across it, if not, I suggest reading this paper (it's not about any specific technical topic, but more about the thought processes) from Peter Naur, titled: Programming as Theory Building. [1] http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/Naur.pdf http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/Naur.pdf

kashyapc 8y ago

Even if a "Product Owner" brings a lot of customer information, it is still damn important for those developers who are genuinely willing (and able), to interact with customers—even if it is only via medium-bandwidth tools like video calls. Developers should not worry about spending some time talking to users.

clairity 8y ago
we are not "disagreeing" that develoeprs have freedom to talk to customers. but if a developer spends most of their time doing something other than development, there are other inefficiencies going on.
- wbl 8y ago
  Understanding the problem is development.
- kashyapc 8y ago
  I know we agree on some level. Still, I can't help but feel like you have a somewhat narrow definition of "developer". A thoughtful senior developer who is in it for the long-run (read 15–30 years), and thinks in terms of "building a craft" will (and must) aim for a more well-rounded set of skills (that does not involve "development" in the narrow sense of hurling code)—e.g. giving high-quality technical talks that provide durable value, high-bandwidth interactions with customers and users, writing specifications, bringing multiple technical teams together to architect features and solutions (which requires careful and effective communication), and so forth. Related: You might've already come across it, if not, I suggest reading this paper (it's not about any specific technical topic, but more about the thought processes) from Peter Naur, titled: Programming as Theory Building. [1] http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/Naur.pdf http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/Naur.pdf