1 Chief programmer team Successful software teams Studies show a - PDF document

Success Criteria Discussion CSE 403 Lecture 3 Teams and Software Time Why teams? Team size � What is a team? � Bigger is better Workforce Cost Workforce � Smaller is better Communication Workforce Team structure Software development teams � Many different models � Brooks � Surgeon team Chief Programmer Copilot Administrator Program clerk Editor Secretary Toolsmith Language Lawyer Tester Secretary 1

Chief programmer team Successful software teams � Studies show a 10 to 1 difference in � Key points productivity of programmers � Technical leadership � Equal differences observed in � Technical lead has direct development productivity of teams responsibilities � Substantial differences observed in performances of teams even when the PM Dev Lead strength of the programmers is equivalent Dev Test Test/Build Doc/UI What makes a successful team? Team building � Shared, elevating vision � Mutual trust � Team members derive satisfaction from or goal � Interdependence the team’s accomplishments � Team identity among team members � Important to both � Results driven structure � Effective communication � Competent team � Sense of autonomy � Reward the team’s success members � Sense of empowerment � Maintain individual accountability � Commitment to the � Small team size team � High level of enjoyment Motivation Top five motivation factors � Achievement � Motivation is undoubtedly the single � Ownership greatest influence on how well people � Goal setting perform. Most productivity studies � Possibility for Growth have found that motivation has a � Work itself � Skill variety stronger influence on productivity than � Task identity any other factor. (Boehm 1981) � Task significance � Autonomy � Job feedback 2

How not to manage: Top five motivation factors Morale killers � Management manipulation � Opportunity to focus on the work itself � Excessive scheduling pressure � Reduce administration � Lack of appreciation for team member’s efforts � Inappropriate involvement of technically inept � Remove obstacles management � Personal life � Not involving team members in decisions that affect them � Technical-supervision opportunity � Productivity barriers � Low quality � Assign each developer to be technical lead � Heavy handed motivation campaigns for some particular product area � Frequent changes in direction Student Project Teams Is Software Different? � Software Projects have long had to � I’ve observed a high success rate reputation for failing � But failures happen . . . � In the 1970’s a “Software Crisis” was identified � Many examples of big software projects that have failed � Many examples of catastrophic failures caused by software It’s not just Is the engineering of software software . . . worse than other fields? � Less history � Less professionalism � More of a craft � Technology changing rapidly � Impossible to manage programmers � Difficulty in estimating costs � Low cost of failure � Low cost of change 3

Psychology of Programming � Inherently an individual activity � Hubris � Extreme confidence in ability to create new code � Extreme confidence in being able to improve someone else’s code � Extreme confidence a change will work 4