1. People

2. Importance of People
Most important factor in the quality of software is the quality of the programmers
If your life depended on a particular piece of software, what would you want to know about it?
That the person who wrote it was “both highly intelligent and possessed by an extremely rigorous, almost fanatical desire to make their program work the way it should.”
Terry Bollinger (2001)

3. Peopleware DeMarco and Lister
People are primary
Goal-driven human processes are self-healing
Rule-driven processes are fragile
Public communication
Space
Cave and Commons
Stewart Brand, How Buildings Learn

4. FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICTS
Knowledge Workers …
FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICTS
prefer closed offices but communicate better in open ones
congregate in particular geographical areas
move around in the course of their work
collaborate
concentrate
work in the office
communicate with people who are close by
don't care about facilities gewgaws
Davenport, Why Office Design Matters 2005

5. Tuckman Team Stages Forming - polite but untrusting
Storming - testing others
Norming - valuing other types
Performing - flexibility from trust
Adjourning - disengagement
Tuckman, Bruce. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological bulletin, 63,

6. People are different

7. Differences Work Styles Work Approach Skills Personality
Conflict Resolution
Time Management

8. Work Styles Work with Others Necessary Work with Others Preferred
Self-Motivated
Works Better Alone
Time of Day
Need Large Dedicated Chunks of Time
More Effective if Thinking about and Doing Work in Background

9. Work Approach Spend a lot of time before do anything
Produce linearly with regular visible progress
Big push at the front; harder to keep going

10. Skills Big picture Understanding clients Design Documentation Detail
Interpreting others
Testing
Budgeting/scheduling

11. Personality Acceptance of challenge Acceptance of criticism
Feelings easily hurt
Humor effective
Needs direct talk
PC Sensitivity
Need for recognition
Confrontation
Conciliation
Non-social

12. Styles in Conflict Resolution
Collaborator
Works to find a solution that satisfies all concerns
Accommodator
Neglects own concerns to satisfy others
Compromiser
Tries to satisfy others without giving up own concerns
Competitor
Pursues own concerns at other’s expense
Avoider
Evades the situation and never addresses

13. What works

14. Good Team Member Core Competency: problem-solving ability
Personal Attributes
Openness
Supportiveness
Action orientation
Positive personal style

15. Positive Team Relationships
Constructive
for all team members
Productive
brings out the best thinking in all team members
Mutual Understanding
seeking to understand others’ perspectives
Self Correcting

16. Effective Team Problem Solving
Focus
clear about what you are doing
Climate
positive
inclusive
focus on the issue…not the person
Open Communication
Issues identified,
discussed,
prioritized
and acted on

17. Eight Characteristics of a Great Team
Clear, elevating goal
Results-driven structure
Competent members
Unified commitment
Collaborative climate
Standards of excellence
External support & recognition
Principled leadership

18. trust but verify

19. Trust doesn’t mean Ignore
Don’t micromanage
Keep people excited and involved
Verify that nothing got lost or misunderstood

20. Why? Different strengths and weaknesses History drives decisions
You don’t know what you don’t know
Words have different meanings and interpretations

21. leadership

22. Everyone Should be a Leader
Know when to lead and when to follow
Recognition critical
What is most effective?

23. exercise

24. Team Turmoil: Forming
You are on an 8-person team that has been given the job to complete a web application for a non-profit. They have a major event coming up and need to organize a vast number of volunteers. The team are all members of the organization with computer skills who have volunteered to do the work. The organizers have set up a meeting for you and explained the requirements. It’s now time to get started. What do you do?

25. Team Turmoil: Storming
Finley has committed to get the database up before the next meeting and did but the design was not what the team had agreed on. Now what?
Peyton and Kerry were supposed to be working together. The team discovers that Peyton did all of the work but they presented it as if it were done jointly. Should the team call out Kerry? Mentor Peyton?
Reese keeps taking the jobs that no one else wants. It is clear that Reese is not enjoying this role but keeps agreeing, if not volunteering for the tasks. There is a concern that Reese is going to burn out. What should the team do?

26. Additional source

27. Larson and LaFasto Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong
When Teams Work Best
Accumulated information from 600 teams