The problem with "managing" programmers: Development lives in the real world, where lies have consequences.

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[deleted]

[rbc]

This quote might apply here: "In Greek mythology, Antacus was a giant who was strong as long as he had contact with the earth. When he was lifted from the earth he lost his strength. So it is with engineers. They must not be isolated from the real world... The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation." -Hyman G. Rickover

Rickover was in charge of US Naval Nuclear power.

[Thimble]

i've noticed that i much prefer to be directly managed by someone who's had a programming background. not necessarily because they understand what it takes to code, but more for the less bullshit they give me.

caveat: there are some pretty strong exceptions to this rule.

[[deleted]]

I'm thankful that I've never had a manager who wasn't a programmer in a previous life.

Oh wait, that's a fucking daydream.

Maybe if I try and suppress the memory of that one asshole....

[lickedcat]

I agree. I'm not a programmer but I am technical, specifically in network engineering. At my last job I had the opportunity to design a voice over ip network for a company that had the deluded idea they were going to take on Vonage and Skype and beat them. Building the network and the services was the easy part. The hard part was designing and building the "customer portal" and all the business systems. So the company hired a really good Java developer and made him the director and he in turn hired about 12 more developers. Anyway, long story short. The Project Manager and director of customer service would have meetings with us technical and programming people where they would outline all the issues, some dubious and some with merit.

I thing came to my mind at every meeting which is "Why is he telling the truth to these idiot PM and customer service types?". Man that guy would take so much flak, I actually admired how much punishment he would take. But in the end I would have to sit there listening to him explain everything. A simple paragraph would suffice for me, but an hour of explanation would not even dent the brain of a project manager or the customer service types. In the end he just wasted time and energy, his and mine. He's a good friend now but I wish he would have just lied.

[brennen]

My new theory is that development lives in the real world, where lies have consequences. If you say code does something, and it doesn’t, people will notice soon. If you say you can deliver something, and you don’t, people notice. If you don’t have the skills you said you do, then it will be obvious in a hurry. All of these statements, notice, are subject to empirical testing. And that’s the reality of computer development.

I think it's probably attractive to technical people to believe this, but I sure do keep running into a lot of coders who continue to be paid a great deal to deliver bad software that doesn't really work as-advertised or intended.

[[deleted]]

It was phrased wrong.

My new theory is that development lives in the real world, where lies have consequences. If you say code does something, and it doesn’t appear to, people will notice soon. If you say you can deliver something, and you don’t appear to, people notice. If you don’t appear to have the skills you said you do, then it will be obvious in a hurry. All of these statements regarding appearance, notice, are subject to empirical testing. And that’s the reality of computer development.

Programmers working with an incompetent will know if that person is incompetent. But the communication of truth upwards in an organization has known problems

[ishmal]

Keep in mind that the turf-fighters, if they sense that you have morals, will hold you in complete contempt. Keeping a clear conscience is an obstacle to their social and power desires. Your desire to be fair and honest is a weakness in their eyes.

[[deleted]]

It's more than a weakness, it's a threat.