bdehaaff

59 ms·

541.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
This is a sure sign of a broken PM group (and product dev team in general). Great teams are made of equal parts PM, Eng, Design and a group of folks who can actually position and sell a product.
542.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
True. But PM needs to pick its head up and think more broadly. A "one in one out" queue is contrary to delivering winning product.
543.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Fair point. I was not certain where to add it. My belief, based on my conversations was that many have heard about it -- so I did not want to bore those in the know.
544.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Thanks. I am not an expert in this area (diet success data) and was simply trying to use an analogy. I guess I will leave it as is. I am not sure what else to do -- it seems that leaving it with no reference would be worse.
545.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
They might know more about the product but in a functioning org if they know more about the customers or market -- something is terribly wrong (unless it is software for engineers). Agree?
546.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
I agree with your thoughts around dysfunction as it relates to fad diets and poor habits. I also think that many engineers think they know best, but in a well functioning org PM actually knows the customers and market and has a collaborativ
547.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Thanks for the comments. The companies have been distributed across the country (with a few outside of the US as well). They have been of different shapes and sizes, but I did not do a good job tracking all of their characteristics. The pur
548.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
That surprised me as well. I think engineering managers are willing to try just about anything to regain some control and deliver software more predictably. My sense from talking to many companies is that it is unfortunately having the oppo
549.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Thanks for the comment. I actually spent a considerably amount of time looking for a meaningful reference. I found the Popkess-Vawter 1998 reference, but could not find the original text. Do you have a better number for "failure"
550.
Kanban – The Secret Engineer Killer(blog.aha.io)
43 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|63 comments
551.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
I think you can read the post and come to a very different conclusion and one that I have written about in the past. The MVP is a curse for ambitious technology companies that want to grow. In an increasingly transactional world, growth com
552.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Indeed. 90% of people think they are in the top 10% of performers.
553.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
How true. I ask myself that question every day. Feel free to look me up and come to your own conclusion. Best.
554.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
I think you are misinterpreting the point and blog post. I am not arguing that a lead engineer should be in charge of every team or even the broader engineering team. The point is that great engineers are different and can have an exponenti
555.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Alright. I guess we all should just quit what we are doing, throw out our own experiences, and follow Joel's advice.
556.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Agreed. @malandrew mentioned something similar. The Alpha Engineer can be a force for good if she works well and motivates the team.
557.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Good addition. The Alpha needs to be cognizant of the lifecycle of a given project and be able to motivate a broader team.
558.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Yes, I think you have touched on an important point. I did not try to equate the Alpha Engineer with bad behavior. Great leaders set clear vision, lead by example, and bring the team along with them.
559.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Agreed. I considered referencing The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Fred Brooks. The central theme is that "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later". I think that this theory can be applied
560.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
The point is simple. Find the Alpha Engineer and put him or her in a position to succeed, get rid of group think, and prosper.
561.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Thanks for the comments. So you do agree that Brunelleschi lead with his brilliant design and Buffett does dramatically outperform his peers. Jordan never lost a championship and would handily beat 5 mediocre basketball players from the gen
562.
The Alpha Engineer(blog.aha.io)
14 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|29 comments
563.
Help — My Product Manager Lost His Mojo(blog.aha.io)
1 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|0 comments
564.
Why do we build software that sucks?(quora.com)
2 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|0 comments
565.
Why do we build products that suck?(blog.aha.io)
2 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|0 comments
566.
Hey Engineers — Stop Pissing Off Your Product Manager(blog.aha.io)
2 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|0 comments
567.
Hey Engineers — Your Product Manager Needs a Hug(blog.aha.io)
2 points by bdehaaff 13y ago|2 comments
568.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
I built my career as a PM before becoming a CEO, so this might not be just another one of those posts. Are there market-leading products that have been built with lead $15/hr engineers? Please call out a few, I would love to learn abou
569.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
I totally agree. I think the best PMs actually leave at least 20% of their roadmap for engineers to tell them what else needs to be built.
570.
by bdehaaff 13y ago
Totally agree. Plus, it's in a PM's selfish long-term interests to keep the team motivated by deflecting praise.

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