Software Design Principles in Communication of an Engineer

 

As a reporting manager, anytime did you say this to one of your team members?

• You did not deliver what the organization expected.
• You did not deliver what the business expected.
• You should also deliver what the company needs; but, you did not.

If you hear any of these from someone in the team other than manager, it is more likely, the story is narrated in the team, and you are hearing it now.  How to avoid ending up here?

Reporting Manager and Communication

When I'm in the role of a reporting manager, I want to avoid the below mistakes and keep my team well aware and informed.

I see, most of the skilled engineers are put to a corner because of not good communication from the reporting managers.  And, not all engineers are aware of politics and to move politically.

I listen and converse to such engineers. They are not well communicated and aware of -- what is expected by business, company and stakeholders.  It is not communicated in precise and straight.  

But, it is expected from one to deliver. Failing to do so, the message narrated to the floor is -- she or he did not deliver what is expected.

When I work in the role of Engineering Manager or Director of Engineering or its above roles,

• One of primary responsibilities is to be better in communication day-by-day and follow the KISS - Keep It Simple and Straight.
• Yes, you read it right, it is KISS.

How are you communicating in the role of Engineering Manager and Director of Engineering?  How effective, simple, precise and straight it is?

Software Design Principles and Communication

Communicate with your engineers in the teams.

Help your engineers to understand the expectations.  Practice the software design principles in your communication.  Give it a try!

If a software engineer can identify and implement the design principles in the software she or he builds, then, she or he can identify it in your communication and the expectations you have.

These software design principles should be in our communication day-on-day,

1. KISS
2. DRY
3. YAGNI
4. TDA
5. SOLID

Do not have these design principles just in the interview rounds and sometimes in the code review.  It should be in our communication and day-to-day decision execution.

Do you have these in your communication?

Or, just in the interview you take and the system you build?

Ask your team member if she or he knows your expectations.  Ask, how well you have communicated it.

To sum up and summarize,

1. The team or a team member is skilled but failed to deliver the expectation is more likely when the expectations are not well communicated by her or his reporting manager or the skip manager. 
• The other case is, the engineer is lousy and not stepping up.  But, most times it is not well communicated.
2. The Software Design Principles as KISS, DRY, and YAGNI are not just for the software we build.  
• It is also a must practice in our day-to-day communication and engineering's decision execution.  
• If it cannot be practiced in our communication, I doubt, if a team or org practices these design principles in the software system it builds and ships.
3. The reporting manager role is underrated and not understood well enough.  
• It is one of the critical roles in the business and org.  
• Any of us can be a reporting manager in role. But, hardly a few have the lasting legacy of being the effective and efficient reporting managers.
4. Communicate it straight and in simple, so that, each in a team knows her or his objectives and how it will align to business's goals and objectives with an impact.
5. Learning to deal with one's ego is a underrated and unspoken skill.
• Foster and build culture where one approaches you with questions to seek clarity.  
• When you demonstrate how well you are handling the ego, the other can spot it and will manage her or his ego.  If not, still you will master your ego!
6. Like, how a child's growth behavior is reflection of people around it, an engineers growth and behavior is a reflection of you and people in the business and org.
• The reporting manager's persona, communication and character will leave the marks on team members and org.

Happy Engineers Day!

Empathy - Missing in Engineers. Then, Why Think Like a User?

I did not know about the word 'empathy' in English.  I heard it for first time 15 years back.  This does not mean, I did not have or express or share the empathy.  

We engineers talk about empathy to the users when building the software.  That is, think like a user.  If you are a test engineer, testing, then you should have heard this.  And, you should have asked yourself -- "How will the user feel with this?".  Did you?

When you write a bug report or any test report, you think and ask yourself, "Can this be easily understood by the reader?".  Won't you?

You are having the thought and an emotion of empathy in that thought and question!

How's the Empathy of Engineers for Engineers?

Anytime, you asked these questions to you?  What do your voice say?

1. Do I truly listen to my colleague and peers?
2. Do I document?
• How well and lean I document so that fellow engineers can use it?
• Can they use it in my absence?  Does it serve?
• For example, 
• How well I name the variables, so that, someone who is reading my code can make sense out of it?  This is empathy to your colleagues.
• How well I write the test engineering related testware, so that, it serves my fellow test engineers and others?  This is empathy to your fellow testers.
• Before thinking like a user, think -- How my fellow testers feel for using your work and communication?
3. Do I consider how my words and behavior affect the people I work and collaborate with?
4. Do I listen and respect my colleagues and peers view while I discuss and share my perspective when it differs?
• Am I ready to accept the same treatment and communication that I share with others?
• Do I share and communicate my perspective and intent for first?
5. How do I interpret other person's understanding and thought about a subject, work and practice?

If you are a programmer, 

Ask yourself when and how you respected your fellow programmer and testers thoughts and work?

If you are a tester, 

Ask yourself when and how you respected and listened to your fellow testers word and work?

If you are a manager or director or VP or CxO role person for engineers, 

Ask yourself, when was the last time you listened and tried to understand the words and thoughts of your programmers, testers and other roles?  How did you listen and communicate?

• How did you help your teams and a team member to understand your point?
• Did you consider one of your team members as your team?
• Did you say anytime, she/he knows better than you, to any of your team member?
• Did this end or impact the communication thereon between you two?
• Further, ask yourself and list out the incidents that you could have avoided a situation and communicated well with dignity?

It is easy to say the slogan, "Think like a user".  

It is much easier to say this to your testing team.

But, it is not easy to think from the point of your colleague or peer.

Why?

What stops you?

Empathy Starts Within - A Message to Engineering Leaders

As leaders, we often say,

"Think like the user."

It is a powerful principle.

But, here is the question.

"Do you think like your engineers?"

You hired your engineers by conversing with them.  What are your efforts to make your engineers understand your thinking?  What's your principle on this?

If you cannot think and respond to the point views of your colleague or peer or team, how can you think and build the software system for a user?  Yet, say from decades, "Think like a user"!

Let me ask this.  Anytime, you tried to impose or overrule the testing team's thoughts, pain, voice and perspectives?  Or, did you talk to them to understand it and then shared why it should be the way you are deciding?  

Did you think as your test engineers and test team?  And, you want them to think like a user?  How?  

I'm not saying to agree and acknowledge to whatever the test team say and ask.  But, are you aware that, you work with test teams?  They are one among who consumes your decisions and work to deliver as a team.   What's your empathy to them?  Also reflect on what's your empathy to other teams?

If you cannot communicate well and help them understand your points and need of the business, then, how effectively as a team can we deliver value to the users who buys the service of the business?

When no empathy to fellow engineers on the team by an engineer, and, by the one who is heading the engineering teams, how can one have and express the empathy for the users who buys the service of the business?

Do you have the empathy for the engineers in your team?

Do you have the empathy for the teams you lead?

What is empathy?  What is your empathy?

I understand, in the business and with an executive role in business, empathy has scale.  What's your empathy scale for your engineers?

To end here for now, before the users, let your engineers and teams experience your empathy.