Mike Veerman @MikeVeerman@mastodon.technology

A specialist doesn't need to have all the answers, but needs to know the questions.

"I don't know... " is great as long as it's followed by "... but we could investigate X..."

Laptops in meetings are worse than phones.

There. I said it.

The idea that you can do as much in four days as in five is baffling to most people. The notion that you can do more in four is considered crazy.

The creative process is not churning out stuff 24/7.

"We like how fast and nimble this antelope is. Let's try to get it to weigh 200KG..."

- Agile at scale

The enterprise kitchen seems to be equipped with a revolving door that supplies a constant stream of too many cooks.

http://mikeveerman.be/2019/02/16/lean-and-slow/

"Done" is a useless concept. Start thinking in terms of "good enough".

"We can't do weekly releases. Our project will be delivered at the end of the year."

"I can't lift 25KG, but I'll magically pick up 100KG next March..."

"When looking to hire a new accountant, I check out their Google Drive. If they don't have at least a few public side project spreadsheets, they are not passionate enough."

That's how stupid it sounds...

When traveling to a new city, try estimating exactly what you will spend your time and money on. Put it on a JIRA board.

If you can't predict the details of a simple city trip, what makes you think you can foresee a million euro software project?

A deleted line of code is better than an added line of code.

You know what's even better? The line of code you didn't write because the team decided the feature wasn't worth it.

Focus is about not doing most things.

The day will come when people expect to work remote. Unless an employer explicitly states otherwise, people will just assume that they can work from wherever.

We don't ask "Can I go outside for lunch?" or "Can I make personal phone calls?" anymore either.

Most Project Managers are Status Reporters. They are given a team they couldn't pick, a laundry list of features they can't cut and a deadline they can't negotiate.

Give your managers a budget and a goal. Watch them shine.

A process without a plan will pay off. A plan without a process is a lazy daydream.

http://mikeveerman.be/2019/01/28/process-plans/

Corporate projects fail when they value sticking to the plan more than discovery. Plans are cheap and should be thrown away regularly.

Adapting to the environment is a superpower, not a weakness.

A: "Our Scrum Master guides 4 teams..."

B: "Wow.... How do they find the time to do some actual coding?"

A: "..."

B: "..."

#scrummanager

Commutes are free for employers. If those 2 hours lost on the road would be paid, remote work would have been the standard since the 90's.

Pair programming and TDD are tools in the XP toolbox. Use them when you feel they add value.

"Never use a hammer" is as silly a rule as "Always use a hammer".

If you think Imposter Syndrome is bad among developers, try becoming a manager in software projects.