Cory Berg - Software++: Must-Have Skills for Software Engineers

Contents

CoverbyBrandiMcCannatwww.ebook-coverdesigns.com

Copyright2015CoryBerg

Allrightsreserved.

Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans, electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutthewrittenpermissionoftheauthor.

ToDeb,forreviewingmyworkandbeingpatientduringthemanyhoursIspentwritingthis.

ToJohnandAllen,forlookingatmyearlyrevision,beingpoliteinspiteofit,andquestioningmyassumptions.

ToMichael,Todd,andAlekhya,andeveryonewhoreviewedthisbeforeIfinallycalleditDone,thankyou.

Andfinally,toallmycolleaguesthathelpedshapemyowndirectioninoneformoranother.

Youknowwhoyouare.

Introduction

Thisbookisforanyjuniorormid-levelprofessionalinvolvedinatechnicalcraftwhois lookingtoimprovehisorhernon-technicalskillsinacorporatecontext.Inthisbook,I offeryousomeadviceandperspectivethatIhavegainedthroughoutmyyearsinthe softwareindustry,basedonrealsituations(andrealmistakes)ofmyownpersonal experience.TheseareskillsthatIwishIhadlearnedtwentyyearsago.Thesearemust-haveskills,inthesensethatmasteringthemwillhelpyoutooperatemoreeffectively withinthetechnicalrealmandfarbeyondthatrealm.Witheachmust-have,Iinclude exercisesthatyoucanusetounderlinethepointforyourself.Atthecore,thisisallabout yourawarenessandyourdiligence.Onceyouareawareofyourstrengths,your weaknesses,andtheenvironmentaroundyou,youcanstarttoexperimentwiththese variables,andpossiblyinfluenceoutcomesforyourself,yourlife,andyourcareer direction.

ThroughoutmyentireadultlifeIhavebeenanengineer,focusedonsoftwareasa deliverable.Professionally,Ihaveneverdoneanythingelse.Ihaveworkedwithsomeof thelargestcompaniesintheworld,andIhaveworkedwithstartupsthatwerelessthan twentystrong.IstartedoutbuildingmilitaryandFAAsoftwareproductsthesortwhere

missioncriticalmeantthatactualliveswereatstake.Myintroductiontorealsoftware engineeringwaslessthanspectacularIremembergettingharshlyanddeservedlyabused onmyfirstpeer-to-peercodereview.Thoselessonstranslatedintoincreaseddisciplinein myownpractices.Iwasluckyenoughtohaveexperiencedcolleaguesaroundwhoguided mealongtheway,sometimesinpositivewaysandsometimesinnegativeways.Idecided thatthebestwaytohonorthosepeopleistosharesomeofthemoreimportantlessons withyou.

Beforewegofurther,Iwouldliketoaddressacoupleimportantpointsofterminology.

Terminology:StrategicandTactical

Thewordsstrategicandtacticalcomefromthemilitary,buttheyarevaluable wordsasabasisforclassifyingcertainelementsofthecorporateworld.Ifyouarejust startingoutinyoursoftwarecareer,youareprobablyfocusedontacticalconcerns:the coding,theproduct,andtheimmediate,short-termdeliveries.Youareexpectedtoapply yourtechnicalskilldirectlytothejobathand.Strategicwork,ontheotherhand,involves abroaderperspective,thinkinginlargerscopesandhigherlevelsofabstraction,often involvinglongertimeframes.Inyoursoftwarelife,youmayexperienceanevolutionof yourcompany.Mostcompaniesstartoutasverytactically-oriented.Theyrelyonthe short-termskills,creativity,andfasttimetomarket;thegoalsaretobuildrevenue, capitalizeonopportunities,andsoforth.Iftheyaresuccessful,suchcompaniesevolve intomorestrategicfocus-certainlytheystilldeliverproduct,butitiswithconsideration ofalonger-termplan.Similarly,yoursoftwarecareermightevolveaswell.Youmay choosetomovefromaskilledtechnicalrole,toamoreabstract,broad-thinkingoperator withabig-picturefocus.Mypoint:youshouldrecognizethattherearetacticalconcerns, andtherearestrategicconcerns,andthesethingsareoftenregarded,used,analyzed,and executedverydifferently.Movingfromtacticalconcernstostrategicconcerns(andvice-versa)canbeverychallenging,andthesamecanbesaidformovingfromacompanyat oneleveltoacompanyatanother.Thegoodnewsisthis:yourbasisintechnical capabilitycanserveyouwellineithercapacity.

Terminology:Engineers,Developers,andProgrammers

Thesoftwareindustryhassomeinterestingchallengesthatsetitapartfromclassic engineeringdisciplines.Therehasalwaysbeendebateabouttheuseofterminology betweenthetermssoftwareengineer,softwaredeveloperandprogrammer(among otherterms.)Inthisbook,IwillgenerallyusethewordengineerbecauseIaman engineer.Historically,theadditionofthewordengineerimpliedacertaindegreeof professionalbehavior,capability,andoftenliability.But,whileIhaveanengineering degree,someofthebestsoftwarepeopleIhaveworkedwithdonot.So,forthepurposes ofthisbook,Iwillsetasidethedebatesandstartfromthebasisthatweareinthe technicalrealmbecauseweenjoythework.Thefactthatyouarereadingthisbook impliesthatyouareembarkingonyourownjourneytohoneyourskillsandexpandyour horizons.Thereisnothingmoreengineeringthanthat.

OrganizationofthisBook

Thisbookisarrangedinthreeparts.Thefirstpartisaboutyouandyourownskills.

Thesecondpartisabouthowyourelatetoyourcolleagues.Thethirdpartisaboutyour placewithinanorganizationwhichcouldbethecompanyyouworkfor,atrade association,andsoon.Thisarrangementisdeliberate;itisbasedonthephilosophythatif youunderstandyourself,thenyouareinabetterpositiontounderstandotherssomething Ihavefoundtobeatruism,howeverchallengingattimes.Youdonthavetoreadthis bookfromfronttoback,likeanovel;youmaycomebacktoitfromtimetotimeandseea slightlydifferentinterpretation,dependingonwhereyouareinyourcareer.

Letsgetstarted!

PartI:AboutYou

Skill#1:AlwaysHaveaDefinitionofDone

Withinmostorganizations,engineersarepartoftheteamthatbuildstheproduct,service, structures,etcetera.Assuch,thenumberonepriorityoftheengineeristodeliveronobjectives.Ifyoutakethejobseriously,youneedtomakesureyoudothis.However,to doitsuccessfully,youmustunderstandtheDefinitionofDoneforyourspecific situation.

TheDefinitionofDonereferstothesetofconditionsthatdefineasuccessfulend result.Theseconditionsarethecriteriabywhichyoudeterminewhenyourprojectis

finished.Strangelyenough,thesesuccesscriteriaareoftenunclear,ill-defined,or assumedtobeobviousattheriskofgoingtotallyunidentified.Indeed,projectscanhave hugenumbersofwell-writtenrequirements,andstillresultindismalfailurebecause nobodyconsideredwhatitmeanttobesuccessful.So,theDefinitionofDoneisnotthe sameastheprecisionofyourprojectrequirements.TheactualDefinitionofDonecan takemanydifferentforms,anditcanchangeasyourprojectevolves.Atsomecompanies, theDefinitionofDoneisnicelycapturedintheformofaproductmanagement-level

marketrequirementsdocument.Ontheotherextreme,itisleftasasetofassumptions thatmightnotbecommunicatedtothedevelopmentsideoftheorganization.

MypersonalpreferenceforexpressingaDefinitionofDoneistoformulateasimple setofdirect,high-levelstatementsthatareagreedbetweenbusinessandtechnicalteams.

Thissetofstatementsbecomesadeliverablesetofassumptionsinthesamemanneras therequirementsthemselves.Thisisbestagreeduponearlyintheprocess,butit sometimeshappensmid-stream.Asareal-worldexample,imaginethatyouareinyour secondlastiterationofaproject,andyouthoughtyouknewtheexpectationsforgo-live

-onemonthforfinalintegrationtesting,andanicegradualramp-upofnewcustomers.

ThenthebusinesssaysChangeofplan,wearegoingtosignup50,000customersinthe firstweek,andtaketwoweeksawayfromthatintegrationtesting.Didthefunctional requirementschange?No,althoughonecouldarguethatthenon-functionalrequirements

-iftheywerecaptured-changed.ButtheDefinitionofDoneforthisphaseof developmenthascertainlybeenmodified.Youhadbetterputsomeemphasison performanceandscalabilitynow,evenifthatmeanstradingoffthelastbitsof functionalityinyourlastiteration.Byextension,thismeansyoushouldhaveadirect, open,honestconversationwithyourbusinesscolleagues,becausetheyareprobablygoing tohavetomakesometoughcompromisesonfunctionality.Thatconversationshould resultinamodifiedDefinitionofDonethatiswrittenandsocializedtothekey stakeholders.