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> What also went well at Google: Google avoided job categories that were, generally, likely to decrease accountability: > Google avoided the job class of arch
by criticaltinker 5y ago
> What also went well at Google: Google avoided job categories that were, generally, likely to decrease accountability:
> Google avoided the job class of architect — which was both high status and low accountability, making it an easy place for pricey senior people to park and not have much impact (Sun Microsystems was notorious for having lots and lots of architects)
> Google avoided the category of project manager, which would have allowed engineering managers to avoid the grungy part of their job (and be out of touch with engineering realities)
Pretty forward thinking philosophy here and I can't lie I'm a bit jealous - these points hit a little too close to home.
- cmollis 5y agoI never understood how anyone who calls themselves a 'project manager' of a software project, could not actually be a technical contributor. The best projects that I've been associated with have always been led by technicians who also could write, present, manage users, project plans, etc. They're not just 'coders'.. How can anyone define project strategy, tasks, and timelines without an implicit understanding of how it all works? These people (generally rare in my experience) can easily cut through bullshit by technical, and non-technical staff pretty easily. The projects that they lead are generally on time, with fewer problems. I've learned early in my career never to get too far from what it is people are paying us to do : deliver some business value through the act of writing software.