Laying bricks scales somewhat linearly. If one guy takes 4 weeks to build a house then you can add three more for a total of four people and expect the work to be done in 1 week. This works across a lot of different tasks and areas, but of course not infinitely. If we keep … Continue reading Linearly scalable work
Tag: Management
Dedicated or Shared Scrum Master
When implementing the agile way of working, companies are left with a decision on whether to have dedicated scrum master or let the role be handled by one of the existing resources in the team. I have worked in teams with both dedicated and shared resources for the scrum master role and I have formed a very clear preference.
Harmful management
Harmful management is not a very widely used term. I even considered coining the term "Iatrogenic management" but left it - at least for now - even though iatrogenic is a perfect term to describe the problem at hand. Iatrogenic is a term taken from health care and medicine.
Common goal and incentive structures in large companies
In small companies, keeping a common goal is simple. There is probably only one product and hence product goal equals company goal. Messing up incentives is hard (but of course not impossible) as people should be rewarded for making that single product more successful. For increasing sales, improving the product or making it more stable. … Continue reading Common goal and incentive structures in large companies
Reinventing Dell – book notes
Reinventing Dell is short. I read it on a business trip to Belfast from Copenhagen sitting in a crammed airplane with my Kindle. The planes was delayed, but even without that annoyance, I would have finished it in 2-4 hours. Short is good as the points are pretty clearly communicated. Throughout the book the story … Continue reading Reinventing Dell – book notes
Leading with empathy
Good leadership/management takes empathy and compassion for the people you lead. You can lead without it, it may even be today’s norm – but you cannot be a good leader or manager without it. If you lead without empathy or compassion you will end up seeing people as resources that can just be replaced and … Continue reading Leading with empathy
The push for new and shiny solutions to old known problems
As a species we have always been attracted to novelty. This has probably served us well for things with short feedback loops as we quickly learnt whether the “new and shiny” thing actually helped us or harmed us. In software development the JavaScript community has been notorious for “new and shiny” frameworks. This has - … Continue reading The push for new and shiny solutions to old known problems
Authority is not leadership
If your only tool in your management toolbox is authority and your ability to exercise it, then you are not really a well-developed leader. Getting people to follow by way of authority, is as blunt and single-minded as leading people with a gun to their head - it does not require that much talent. Great … Continue reading Authority is not leadership
How to minimize disturbances at work
Disturbances at work can be annoying and hinder productivity whether you are a developer, a writer, a manager or something completely different, so how can we minimize disturbances at work? I have seen and heard a lot of advice on how to minimize disturbances at work. But they all seem to somewhat focus on the … Continue reading How to minimize disturbances at work
Wittiness – Aristotle’s take on management
There are truckloads of books, seminars and courses on the latest and greatest management theories. But is the latest and greatest really what we need or are developments in management theory primarily making the wheels spin for the people who invent them and the institutions that rely on teaching them. Can a man that lived … Continue reading Wittiness – Aristotle’s take on management