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It can have some perks as other comments have mentioned. One thing I want to mention is that there needs to be a high level of trust for it to work well. If t

by borplk 6y ago

It can have some perks as other comments have mentioned. One thing I want to mention is that there needs to be a high level of trust for it to work well. If they don't trust you enough it will be hell. For example they will not understand why it took you so long to do X and Y. They may think you are being lazy, they may think you are exploiting their lack of technical knowledge. Then they get uncomfortable and try to find out the "truth" for themselves with the help of their cousins and google. They will google "how long does it take to make a front-end?" and wonder why it's taking you so long when Random Jimmy on the internet says 5 days max to "make a front-end". You'll be treated like a distrusted dodgy mechanic. They may also annoy you with things to the effect of "My nephew said we must use MongoDB" and so on. They need to trust you and get out of your way. Get out of your way means that they don't try to play some "I love Apps! I'm kinda technical" role with you. They also need to accept to live with your judgement calls and technical decisions while you work together.

apohn 5y ago
>One thing I want to mention is that there needs to be a high level of trust for it to work well. This is a great comment. And it's really hard to build that trust if people have zero understanding of what your work actually entails and how much work is required to do something. It's actually easier when you come in a consulting role. You are perceived as somebody who has come in temporarily to do something the team cannot do. When are working in a team, you are not seen as an outsider. People will try to understand what you are doing by fitting it into what they are doing. A lot of mistrust can arise from this.
paulcole 5y ago
Remember that this is a 2-way street. If the technical person wants to make judgement calls and technical decisions, the technical person shouldn’t be second-guessing marketing, design, and business decisions. Or maybe they should. If a person can’t defend their decisions and explain their actions, how can they be trusted?
- borplk 5y ago
  I completely agree that it is a 2-way street. > If a person can’t defend their decisions and explain their actions, how can they be trusted? I'm not suggesting that the technical person should be somehow exempt from accountability and so on. However often the problem arises from non-technical people wanting to play the role of an expert on a specialised subject. Then they blame their lack of understanding or frustrations on the communication skills of the expert that has decades of relevant expertise on the subject. As opposed to their own lack of qualifications to be a participant in such a discussion. When I go see my mechanic or doctor I expect them to do a good job. I have conversations with them and I can hold them accountable about the quality and outcome of their work. However I don't expect to be sitting in a room around a round table of doctors discussing medical stuff and to understand everything they say or expect them to explain it to me in a way that I understand or expect to be treated like a peer in that group.
  - paulcole 5y ago
    Big difference to me is that your doctor/mechanic isn’t your coworker. Coworkers are peers and trust each other. But they also communicate. Maybe this is too high of a standard but a coworker must be able to explain what they’re doing to me in a way I understand.

by borplk 6y ago

apohn 5y ago

>One thing I want to mention is that there needs to be a high level of trust for it to work well. This is a great comment. And it's really hard to build that trust if people have zero understanding of what your work actually entails and how much work is required to do something. It's actually easier when you come in a consulting role. You are perceived as somebody who has come in temporarily to do something the team cannot do. When are working in a team, you are not seen as an outsider. People will try to understand what you are doing by fitting it into what they are doing. A lot of mistrust can arise from this.

paulcole 5y ago

Remember that this is a 2-way street. If the technical person wants to make judgement calls and technical decisions, the technical person shouldn’t be second-guessing marketing, design, and business decisions. Or maybe they should. If a person can’t defend their decisions and explain their actions, how can they be trusted?

borplk 5y ago
I completely agree that it is a 2-way street. > If a person can’t defend their decisions and explain their actions, how can they be trusted? I'm not suggesting that the technical person should be somehow exempt from accountability and so on. However often the problem arises from non-technical people wanting to play the role of an expert on a specialised subject. Then they blame their lack of understanding or frustrations on the communication skills of the expert that has decades of relevant expertise on the subject. As opposed to their own lack of qualifications to be a participant in such a discussion. When I go see my mechanic or doctor I expect them to do a good job. I have conversations with them and I can hold them accountable about the quality and outcome of their work. However I don't expect to be sitting in a room around a round table of doctors discussing medical stuff and to understand everything they say or expect them to explain it to me in a way that I understand or expect to be treated like a peer in that group.
- paulcole 5y ago
  Big difference to me is that your doctor/mechanic isn’t your coworker. Coworkers are peers and trust each other. But they also communicate. Maybe this is too high of a standard but a coworker must be able to explain what they’re doing to me in a way I understand.