Build Personnel


Because nobody else wanted to play bass....

Paul McCartney

I read an interview with Paul McCartney of The Beatles in which he was asked why he played bass guitar in the band. His answer was "Because nobody else wanted to play bass." He said his true love was playing lead or rhythm guitar. My theory is that this is how a lot of builders start out. They do the builds for the team because everyone else wants to write or break code, and nobody wants to crank out builds. I would love to change this perception with this book by showing that the build team is as critical to a project as the development and test team.

After working more than seven years in build labs, I believe that being a builder is the most thankless job in the computer industry. Builders are constantly fighting forest fires with spray bottles. At the same time, people are screaming at them that the build is broken, late, or they missed an important check-in. Furthermore, they get "status" questions all day long.

Without knowing the size and complexity of your projects, it is difficult to give a hire ratio or builder-to-developer ratio. The number of builders also depends on how fast your product is growing and how good your Software Configuration Management (SCM) processes are. Obviously, if you are growing at a fast rate, and your SCM processes are not very developed, you need more builders than a mature product that is in maintenance mode. At the very least, you need at least one builder regardless of the size of your project or team. That's true even for a small team of ten or fewer developers.

The best way to describe the skill set that we look for in builders is to look at a Microsoft job posting for a builder:

We need a cooperative team player who can work closely with a manager and team members as well as alone. Ability to function well in fast-paced work environment and the ability to work on multiple time-sensitive issues concurrently are necessary. High motivation and self-direction, sound problem-solving skills, technical troubleshooting, debugging code, and decision-making skills are crucial. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as detail-oriented organizational skills are also required.

Qualifications should include knowledge of Windows OS; advanced knowledge of build tools and source control systems; Web authoring using HTML and ASP .NET; experience writing automated scripts (batch files, JScript, SQL, etc.); and standard coding and debugging techniques (C++, C#). Must be able to maintain a flexible working schedule (including some late nights and weekends during critical periods). Working knowledge of Visual Studio .NET a plus. A BA/ BS degree in computer science or engineering preferred but not required.

I would add that a nice and calm temperament is preferred, and type A personalities are best avoided. In a way, Captain John Smith (a leader in the early colonies that England sent over to America) said it best, "I have confidence in my own abilities and a weak reluctance to make enemies." He would have been a great build manager.

If you are lucky enough to find someone with the mentioned skill set and temperament, you should compensate that person well at least equal to the top-paid testers. Someone with these skills usually moves on to testing or development so that he does not have to deal with the day-to-day grind of being in a build lab. When your builder decides to leave the build team, you should plan at least a one-month hit to your shipping schedule to recruit and train a new builder.

One thing that managers have to worry about is builder burnout. This can happen in any position, but it is more likely with builders because the job can become tedious and unchallenging after a while. That's why it's important to provide some kind of good career path and training for the builders, such as assigning development projects or testing to the build team. Ultimately it is up to the person to own their career. This is true at any company that it is up to the managers to clear the paths or keep the employees challenged.

Microsoft Sidenote: SizeOf (NT Build Team)

When we first shipped NT, the build team was about 10 to 12 people and we did everything. Today, the Windows build team has about 60 people in various positions, including build developers, build verification testers, managers, and so on.




The Build Master(c) Microsoft's Software Configuration Management Best Practices
The Build Master: Microsofts Software Configuration Management Best Practices
ISBN: 0321332059
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 186

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