Rules to Better Software Consultants - Working in a Team

Whenever you're doing something more than once there should be a clear procedure. We call them “standards” or “rules”. That means that there should be lots of standards.

There are pros and cons to having standards:

When most people say they'll do something, they really mean they'll try to do it, and they don't really worry too much whether they are successful or not, so long as they gave their best effort.

Once you’ve internalized the importance of having professional integrity, you may feel like you are suddenly under a lot of pressure to keep your word, and this can be stressful.

“When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

This saying is often used by developers who want to use their favourite technology to solve every coding issue, even when it’s not the best fit. But this saying is actually relevant to us all.

Managing up is providing your manager with an active request or an option to approve, rather than asking a general question.

Always do a quick investigation before asking for help. When asking a question using IM, always start your conversation with "I have googled this and no luck".

IM can interrupt a person when they are busy, so make sure that you are well prepared and have tried to find the solution another way first. AI tools like ChatGPT are another great option for getting unblocked before bothering someone.

When you are asked to improve a feature, your manager expects a recommendation, not a blank question. Don't just throw things over the fence. Even if the request pushes you outside your comfort zone, make a best-effort attempt so the conversation stays focused on approving the right option.

Sometimes, meetings can drag on while everyone tiptoes around an obvious problem, like a missed deadline, an unspoken conflict, or a broken feature. This is common in teams who don't trust each other or don't know the value of healthy conflict.

Sometimes you can't complete a task right away or anytime soon. People might just say: "I can't do it this week, but I should have it done by the end of next week".

Another scenario is when the task should be done or will expire after a period of time. For example "Send Google Analytics data after a month" or "Remove course banner once the course is completed".

If you leave it like that there is a high chance it gets forgotten as remembering tasks is a highly unreliable method.

Efficient people don't rely on their memory and instead, use some way to make sure they don't forget to do that task. Common ways are to make a note in a paper diary or stick a post-it note to a screen, but there are better ways.

There are five interrelated issues that undermine the performance of a team:

The well-known book "The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team" focuses on team failings, but what should an ideal team look like? What pillars underlie exceptional teamwork?

Product Owners  (or clients), like all of us, are snowed under with work and won't always be able to respond to your emails in a timely manner. But keeping a good line of communication open is essential and it's up to you to make it happen. No matter whether your weekly meeting gets cancelled or your client appears to avoid you for the week, stop and talk to them in the corridor, or pick up the phone and give them an update.

If you know you've got issues to discuss (such as looming deadlines), don't wait for the client or your Product Owner to bring it up, take a pro-active approach and schedule a meeting.

With a mountain of emails and PBIs, it is difficult to make sure the most important tasks get done first. You want to keep your clients happy while still removing roadblocks for others.

Most people do the urgent stuff and then have less time for the important stuff. Let's say you receive 2 emails... one email to fix your timesheets and another to change the logo on the home page. How do you work out what is more important?

Timesheets are the lifeblood of the company and are the ultimate source of everyone's income.

The following steps will help you to setup your calendar to allow us track your current availabilities and improve our team collaboration.

It is extremely important to maintain honesty and candor in a team environment. Sometimes this means admitting when you're uncertain and not just communicating wishful thinking.

Nothing breaks down a team like a lack of trust. Remember, honesty starts with the small things.

When it comes to making significant alterations or deletions to someone else's content, it's a good practice to inform them and document it, by sending an "as per our conversation email" as a safety step.

Clear communication helps maintain transparency and respect for the original author's work.

Misunderstanding due to miscommunication can cause major disasters at work or in life (see: Tenerife airport disaster).

❌ Figure: KLM Flight 4805 collides with Pan Am Flight 1736 at Tenerife Los Rodeos Airport

A good communication strategy when receiving instructions is to repeat back what's being said to avoid misunderstanding.

A picture is worth a thousand words; and a video is worth a thousand pictures. The big communication points with clients are:

• Daily Scrums (Product Owners often don’t join)
• Sprint Review, Retro and Planning
• Done Videos

Most Scrum teams do the first 2 well but Done Videos are less common.