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I don't really care about CI/CD (they just run), Git (better than project_name_final-03 on an unsecured ftp server), or TDD (just cheat and write post hoc tests

by strken 7y ago

I don't really care about CI/CD (they just run), Git (better than project_name_final-03 on an unsecured ftp server), or TDD (just cheat and write post hoc tests). What I really hate is filling in form A, which directs you to form B, which you fill in to see whether form C is required. Form B was put in place by a legal team, who don't provide any point of contact, and who are not your friendly local legal team. Because the process of filling out forms is so time-consuming, your engineering team uses Asana to track it. However, your PMs use an excel spreadsheet, the legal team uses JIRA, your copywriters use a google doc, and the teams that own forms B and C use separate internally created tools. You update your form-filling progress in 6 different places, some of which have bugs and others of which aren't actively monitored, so you also have to use email/slack/skype messages to follow up the right people. Some of the right people are actually the wrong people. Some of the right people reject your proposal because they didn't read it properly. A few of them reject your proposal for reasons that are actually valid, but which you could not possibly have known, because they're based on tribal knowledge which is not documented anywhere. Filling in the forms and fixing the issues takes literally 3 months and at least 4 group meetings as well as several skype/zoom calls. One day you are finally allowed to write the code. It's 150 lines including tests, across two services, and you're done in two days. Everything that caused your proposal to be rejected would have been found in development. You quietly wonder whether you would have been happier as a bricklayer.

mvind 7y ago
I relate to this so much. At my work I have trying to a create a TABLE in a database for two weeks now. There is now 4 people involved in getting me the proper privileges to create the TABLE. It's weird how trivial things can spin into these horrible processes.
unclebucknasty 7y ago
That kind of bureaucracy predates agile, but it may have increased in some places as people try to grapple with the chaos of endless sprint cycles and continuous change. i.e. trying to figure how to manage the madness. But, I don't see how your shop can be agile with that level of bureaucracy? Anyway, I think my comments on CI/CD, Git, etc are being misconstrued. I'm not saying they don't have value. I'm saying they are frequently part of an ethos that leads to developer burnout. For instance, your CI/CID process is one you must "appease", along with the rest of the bureaucracy. It may not feel as odious (and may even seem a relief, relatively speaking), but it contributes to your total load. And, Git is fine. In fact, perhaps even perfect for the current culture (in philosophy, if not always in execution). Each developer has his/her own repo, you can work offline, you merge instead of locking check-outs, etc. But, that's the trick: it feels perfect because it allows you to work in the always-on philosophy of agile. Its popularity sprang up because this world of high burn-out, constant productivity demands it. So, we can see the utility of these things and even appreciate them. But, the model they enable and expectations they create can still ultimately lead devs to burnout.

by strken 7y ago

mvind 7y ago

I relate to this so much. At my work I have trying to a create a TABLE in a database for two weeks now. There is now 4 people involved in getting me the proper privileges to create the TABLE. It's weird how trivial things can spin into these horrible processes.

unclebucknasty 7y ago

That kind of bureaucracy predates agile, but it may have increased in some places as people try to grapple with the chaos of endless sprint cycles and continuous change. i.e. trying to figure how to manage the madness. But, I don't see how your shop can be agile with that level of bureaucracy? Anyway, I think my comments on CI/CD, Git, etc are being misconstrued. I'm not saying they don't have value. I'm saying they are frequently part of an ethos that leads to developer burnout. For instance, your CI/CID process is one you must "appease", along with the rest of the bureaucracy. It may not feel as odious (and may even seem a relief, relatively speaking), but it contributes to your total load. And, Git is fine. In fact, perhaps even perfect for the current culture (in philosophy, if not always in execution). Each developer has his/her own repo, you can work offline, you merge instead of locking check-outs, etc. But, that's the trick: it feels perfect because it allows you to work in the always-on philosophy of agile. Its popularity sprang up because this world of high burn-out, constant productivity demands it. So, we can see the utility of these things and even appreciate them. But, the model they enable and expectations they create can still ultimately lead devs to burnout.