Junior – LDNDeveloper

Development Team Relationships

This week I pushed out some old blogs outlining the relationships between senior and more junior developers. I did this because I thought it was very important to listen to each other. We can all learn from old and new experiences. Continue reading Development Team Relationships

Senior should be a Junior for a Day

There are times where a Senior Developer should take a step back and become a Junior Developer. There are times when a Junior Developer can teach a Senior Developer new skill, thoughts and patterns. Granted there are a fair number things that Senior Developer can teach a Junior Developer. In this blog I will discuss why a Senior should become a Junior – for a short time. Continue reading Senior should be a Junior for a Day

Project Manager – Team Lead – Manager of Development

I have been asked a few times for resources and tips for a new Project Manager, Team Lead, Manager of Development type position.
My tips are a generalization as I can pull out more resources for certain situations.

Tips
1. Have an open door
2. Don’t tell your team everything that you know. Be selective
3. Be positive in all your dealings
4. Lead by example. Do not ask your team to do anything you would not.
5. Speak clearly
6. If a developer says it will take a week, say two. If a developer says a month, say 6 weeks. Always buffer time.
7. Be real with expectations
8. Be kind, not too strict, but strict enough
9. Careful planning of project details
10. Listen to those above you and below you. You will learn stuff from everyone.
11. You are not the end all be all.
12. Fight for those who deserve it, help those who need it
13. Stay Organized
14. Meet with your team weekly with an agenda, so everyone can be prepared
15. Know what your superiors want from you
16. Know your place
17. Make sure you keep developing
18. Code reviews are a must, even yours ( can be fun for the team )
19. Earn your trust, trust your team
20. Know each team member’s strengths and use them. You cannot be everything to everyone
21. Failure is always an option – learn from each failure and success
22. Reflect on everyone project as there is always something to learn
23. Find a mentor or mentors – they can be good sounding boards

Online Resources
http://www.fenman.co.uk/activities/training-manual/team-leaders-development.html
http://andrewtokeley.net/archive/2008/05/02/how-to-become-a-development-team-leader.aspx
http://www.atlassian.com/agile/people/teamlead.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_programmer

Books to Read
Project Management in a Week By Mark Brown
Survival is Not Enough By Seth Godin
Made in Canada Leadership By Amal; Morissette, Francoise Henein

My Blogs
http://unlatched.com/blog_What_is_Leadership.aspx
http://unlatched.com/blog_Effective_Listening.aspx
http://unlatched.com/blog_How_a_Senior_can_Help_a_Junior_Developer.aspx
http://unlatched.com/blog_Can_Senior_Developers_Learn_From_Junior_Developers.aspx

Remember: Have fun or you will not like it. Take time off – you need breaks.

How a Senior can Help a Junior Developer

Senior developers have a responsibility to help those who are new to the profession. We are the one group of people that the junior developer can turn to after college. Essentially the college gave the new developer 2 years of education, a piece of paper and tossed them out to sink or swim.

I personally do not like to see anyone sink. I believe no matter what the skill set is, a person could be a little better if a helping hand is given. I am not suggesting a babysitter, as no one really wants that. I am suggesting an open door, an open mind and a little patience. Juniors will make mistakes and they will often be a little cocky thinking they know it all coming out of school, but we need to remember their minds are still in the stage of learning.

Juniors can learn much more at their stage in life. Their minds are like sponges and soak in the good and bad habits and knowledge that we share with them. The best thing we can do for them is to teach them everything we know, encourage them to do extra learning on their own and to listen to them. When I last managed a small team, I asked for a weekly report, which consisted of:

1. What are they working on?
2. Where are they on the schedule of tasks?
3. What obstacle have then encountered? Are they still stuck, if not how did they over come it?
4. What is one thing they learned new this week?

During our weekly meeting, I would get one or two of the developers to talk about either the obstacle or their new found knowledge with the rest of the team. This way all new and old developers had a chance to share and learn from each other.

In summary, help them learn in every aspect. Listen to their ideas and new found knowledge. Have an open door for questions. Lastly; be cautious of your bad habits.