Chapter 2. Individuals


That it is people who design software is terribly obvious . . . and ignored. Weinberg's discussion of people written in 1969 was followed by a stunning silence that lasted 15 years. The silence was finally broken by DeMarco and Lister's Peopleware (1999). Another silence followed that book. We shouldn't have to wait another 15 years before learning more about how people's characteristics affect software development.

This chapter discusses people's general "funkiness," their failure modes, their success modes, and their general mode of operation, in the following sections:

"Them's Funky People" discusses how different and unpredictable people are. A theme is that although general rules of operation may apply to this human device, any useful generalization is limited by the variations among people.

"Overcoming Failure Modes" discusses the weak points of the human device. If we are going to create systems of people working together, we should not rely on aspects of behavior that are points of failure for most people.

"Working Better in Some Ways Than Others" asks, "What is the natural mode of operation of the human device?" When we try to apply these ideas, we have to bear in mind the variations among people.

"Drawing on Success Modes" asks, "What permits us to succeed ever, given all the ways we have of failing?" The answers may surprise you for how vague they initially sound and how powerful they are in their end effect. The end of this section shows how success modes combine for a stronger effect.

The final section relates these ideas to everyday life.

Individuals

THEM'S FUNKY PEOPLE

67

 

The Quest for a Characteristic Function

67

 

Elements of Funkiness

68

 

Inescapable Diversity

70

 

The Place of Technology

71

 

Conflicting Generalizations

71

OVERCOMING FAILURE MODES

72

 

Making Mistakes

72

 

Preferring to Fail Conservatively

73

 

Inventing Rather Than Researching

74

 

Being Inconsistent Creatures of Habit

76

 

Countering with Discipline and Tolerance

77

WORKING BETTER IN SOME WAYS THAN OTHERS

79

 

Concrete

79

 

Tangible

80

 

Something to Alter

82

 

Watching and Listening

83

 

Supporting Concentration and Communication

84

 

Personality-Matched Work Assignments

84

 

Talent

85

 

Rewards That Preserve Joy

86

 

Combining Rewards

89

 

Feedback

90

DRAWING ON SUCCESS MODES

91

 

Good at Looking Around

91

 

People Learn

93

 

Malleable

93

 

Contributing and Taking Initiative

94

 

Combining Success Modes

94

 

Heroes as Ordinary People

95

WHAT SHOULD I DO TOMORROW?

97




Agile Software Development. The Cooperative Game
Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0321482751
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 126

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