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chester_the_dogon Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

The problem is not that some managers think that it’s OK for software engineers to be interrupted frequently. The problem is that some managers think that frequently interrupting software engineers is a feature of startup culture. I once worked for a startup where I was interrupted frequently. My boss often worked remotely, while I was in the office every day. If I tried to carve out periods to write code where I ignored slack and text messages, my boss would call people in the office to interrupt me. If I put on headphones to isolate from the sound, people would come wave their hands in my face or tap me on the shoulder. When I explained that I needed periods where I was not interrupted, I was told by the director of software that I “didn’t understand how startups work” and that I was “acting like a girl”. I quit, and shortly after I quit the company went out of business.

chester_the_dogon Layoffs Are Cruel and Don't Work

Whether it’s good or bad for business, the practice of layoffs is becoming more widely accepted. This can serve as a reminder to employees not to become complacent, which is one reason that companies do it. An unfortunate consequence is that employees become more likely to game the system to keep their jobs. Gaming the system can take many forms : avoiding risky assignments, covering up chronic problems, and blaming others. Once people see that these approaches result in greater job security then the incentives for doing the right thing become obscured. At my last job, a cyber-security startup that had a large layoff, this process of gaming the system ruined the software engineering culture. No one wanted to fix a bug, or talk to a customer, or implement a new process, without first checking to see how it would affect their job security.

chester_the_dogon “Laws” of software estimation for complex work (2021)

I would add: "It is natural for projects to appear to progress quickly at the beginning of the development cycle, since developers will seek out assignments that they understand. At some point there will be assignments that are more challenging, that are outside the primary expertise of the developers, or that take coordination with other teams. It is important for the long-term success of the project that developers not play games related to this, and specifically not to cherry-pick easier assignments to make themselves look good".

chester_the_dogon Thomas Pynchon, famously private, sells his archive

  My father worked at the central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.  He told me that Pynchon did research at library, and that the librarians knew who he was but respected his privacy.  Similarly, I was also told by an employee of the Either-Or Bookstore in Hermosa Beach that Pynchon used to visit.

chester_the_dogon At SpaceX, work was taken away from me in case I “might retire or die.”

  I recently worked for a startup where I consistently out-performed software engineers who were decades younger than me.  I was often asked to finish other engineer’s assignments when they got stuck, and to find and fix difficult bugs from other teams.  After several years working there, during a favorable performance review, I suggested to the director of software that I could help the company more if he would give me more authority. His response : “You are too old for me to promote”.  I quit shortly after.  A couple of months after I left my boss was fired, because he didn’t accomplish one task after I left.

chester_the_dogon Build your career on dirty work

You don't get to be head chef by being the best dishwasher.

chester_the_dogon Build your career on dirty work

This strategy can lead to career stagnation. Good software engineers should be willing to accept unpleasant assignments, like analyzing and fixing bugs under pressure. Fixing bugs in other people’s code be difficult and stressful, especially if there is a critical failure in code that is already in production. If you are consistently being asked to perform emergency fixes on code you did not write, then the company has a big problem. If management doesn’t have a plan to fix the fundamental problems then you should find a new job, or you will wake up one day and realize that you just spent the last three years fixing other people’s mistakes.

chester_the_dogon Eight points for one team is two points for another team

   I worked at a company where the scrum master told us that a story point had to be a fibonacci number.   Has anyone heard of this?

   The original Agile Manifesto demonstrates the collective wisdom of people who have written a lot of software.  Note that the Agile Manifesto doesn't mention a certified scrum master, or any role similar to it.  It says that business people and developers should work together.  It does not say that a certified scrum master should leave the stand-up meeting every morning to spend an hour giving a status report to the CTO.