uxdx 2016 developer thinking: building a developer mindset throughout your organisation

Building a Developer Mindset Throughout Your OrganisationUX/DX, Dublin, Nov 2016@adrian_trenaman @hfleming @DanaPylayeva @gilttech @HBCDigital

“Engineer as fungible resource”vs.

“Engineer as agent of change”

2007 2009 2011 2013 20172015

Startup: yay!

Business-driven Development.

Boo!

KPI driven development.

Embrace autonomy.Team-oriented.

Yay!

Nailin’ it. e=60Yay!

Scalin’ it.e=180

> Autonomy. Mastery. Purpose.

Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”

Peter Drucker

Culture is HardBecause it’s ‘soft’, touchy-feely,

& non-scientific.

“Culture eats Strategy for breakfast…”

“No strategy?

Culture gets cranky by noon.”Adrian Trenaman

great culture is necessary but not sufficient.

expect your leaders to set the goal.let them rely on you to get them there.

> Hire Engineers. Seriously.

code firstTeams: 5±2 in sizeDepartments: 20±4

#leadersnotmanagers#leaderswhocode: 85%, 60%, 15%

IC & Lead tracks#devops

#ownership#opensource

Respect the differences between individual contributors and leaders.

> Have the right team ingredients

We value an individual’s strengths and what they bring to the team and believe an individual should be able to contribute to the team using these strengths - regardless of their job role or title.

Gilt: Team Ingredients Framework

External Relationship Manager:Provides regular updates on status and team achievements. Develops relationships with external stakeholders. Leads productive meetings. Creates and delivers excellent presentations for the team.

Motivator:Excites and motivates through an understanding of individual and team dynamics. Clearly articulates why the work the team is doing is important. Develops an environment of highly engaged individuals by demonstrating passion and enthusiasm. Inspires the team to achieve their goals.

Cruise Director: Makes things fun. Creates a sense of team spirit. Sets up team events, lunches, happy hours, etc. Decorates team area. Helps with stickers, team swag.

> Align teams to strategy

Moving from Strategy to Execution

Strategy

Initiatives

KPI / Milestones

Teams

Projects

Execution

What should the company focus on?

What can Tech impact in the Strategy?

What does success look like for an Initiative?

Who are the right people for the Initiative?

Let’s get working! Woo!

What should the first Project be?

Purpose

Autonomy & Mastery

> Let the teams define the plan

Team-sourced 90d planningApril May June

Hot

Unashamedly ‘Gantt’ style commitment from the team on who will do what over the next 90 days, with deliverables on sprint boundaries.

> Measure happiness. Really?

> Shorten the distance from commit to production.

> Work your meetings

Work your meetings 5@4 (~3w, by location)Tech Huddle (weekly, by location) All Hands (monthly, global)Team KPI meetings: 2-4 weeksQuality Review: weeklyTeam meetings? Up to them.

Ask: “was this meeting valuable? should we meet again?”

> Work your values

valuesAt the heart of any culture:

values are ‘what’s important to us’

check: can you explain your values to your mom?

check: can you explain values to your pals?

How about this for a set of values? writing great, impactful code

learning new things

being a home for quirky, diverse, brilliant folk.

being honest and open, even when it's difficult

making our own decisions and owning the consequences

irreverence, playfulness, fun: but always respectful

then test: are you living those values?

has anyone in your org ever used one of your core values to make a hard

decision?

Building a Developer Mindset Throughout Your OrganisationUX/DX, Dublin, Nov 2016@adrian_trenaman @hfleming @DanaPylayeva @gilttech @HBCDigital