1. Effective Tech Team ManagementTopic : Milan AdamovskySpeaker : 04 / 24 / 2014Date : http://milan.adamovsky.comBlog : milan.adamovsky@gmail.comEmail :

2. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 2 Goal: Bridge business and tech. 3. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 3 Familiarization Perception Acceptance Innovation Estimates Agenda Profiling Manage Dragons Expectations Productivity Meetings Quotes Fear Misstep Recap Deadlines Positives 4. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 4 5. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 5 Experience spans 17 years in web development field Field spans across startups, mid, and large companies Industries span logistics, media, consulting, financial Every presented item does not apply to any single company Every company gets some things right, others wrong Preface Generalizations based on first and second hand experience Negativity represents the issues at heart of our dilemma Entire presentation is highly subjective and opinionated Presentation is for informational purposes only 6. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 6 Profiling: Learn whos who. 7. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 7 Executives, managers, product owners, project managers Business visionaries Trained and experienced in coordinating efforts Ultimately responsible for the deliverables to the end-user Trained and experienced in business matters and soft skills Who are the business people? Mostly academically educated individuals Accountable for the success or failure of projects Owners of projects Recipients of potentially higher bonuses and enticing perks 8. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 8 Team leads, developers, the geekier the better Prioritize technical lingo over business mumbo jumbo Thrive as technical problem solvers Emphasize hard skills over soft skills Often undersell themselves Who are the tech people? Mix of self-taught and academically educated individuals Less business, more creative Personalities span wide spectrum from introverts to explosive Require organization and structure to be effective 9. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 9 Familiarization: Understand each other. 10. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 10 Operate at macro levels People interaction is a necessity Social skills and diplomacy drives success in field Golf, travel, entertaining clients, drinks Driving revenue for business Whats the landscape like for business people ? Communicate in sentences Meetings, meetings, meetings Importance placed on image and presentation Breaks down business needs and wants for tech 11. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 11 Operate at micro levels towards macro levels People interaction optional to excel Technical skills and sound logic drives success in field Coffee and long days behind computer with sleepless nights Driving deliverables for business Whats the landscape like for tech people ? Communicate in numbers Generally work best uninterrupted Shorts, t-shirt, flip-flops is a dress code Convert sentences into numbers 12. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 12 Perception: Its not what it looks like. 13. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 13 A tech is a tech and therefore can be cross-functional Everyone is replaceable Tech should have excellent communication skills Tech should understand how business works Tech should adapt to understand business folks How does business see tech ? Tech doesnt understand business More meetings will better communicate needs to tech Tech are resources measured in numbers Tech are subordinates 14. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 14 Needs are not clearly defined or broken down Lack of business accountability and source of blame games Insufficient or absent shielding from business forces Disruptive to getting the job done Meetings take away time from tech productivity How does tech see business ? Business doesnt understand tech Unrealistic expectations Condescending communication Paycheck 15. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 15 Acceptance: It is what it is. Deal with it. 16. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 16 Show tech that business listens to that voice Take time to understand raised tech concerns Show tech you need them Match tech with their skill set and passion Do not corner tech into work they are not interested in What can business do? Give tech a voice Tech can find new job extremely easily Most tech jobs pay in the $100k-$150k range Remember: technology powers business 17. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 17 Innovation: An opinion everyone has one. 18. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 18 Listen to everyones input Defer tech decision making to most senior tech Have a tech appointed a tie breaker (e.g. architect) There are many ways to achieve a same business goal Discourage consensus driven tech decision making Who should business listen to? Define a clear chain of command in tech team Do not be afraid to enforce tech standards Tech thrives in structures, standards, and conventions Business thrives in processes, procedures, and formalities 19. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 19 Estimates: Involve the worker. 20. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 20 Re-estimate if someone new takes over work Do not pressure tech with deadlines they were dumped into Deadlines need to be properly managed by business Hold tech accountable to their own estimates Business must proactively follow-up on progress How do we deal with estimates? Do not hold one tech to another techs estimates Estimates are guesstimates and should be revisited regularly Ask tech what they can achieve within a time period Manage expectations and resources according to techs insight 21. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 21 Deadlines: This is where management shines. 22. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 22 Commit to deadlines as a team Extending deadlines dilutes sense of accomplishment Adjust deliverable scope but keep deadline if necessary Reward tech with a breather if deadline is met Deadlines pressure can trigger writers block How do we deal with deadlines? Coordinate deadlines with tech Recognize when complex problems are solved A simple pat on the back goes a long way Show genuine interest in learning cause for missed deadlines 23. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 23 Manage: Do your job and let them do theirs. 24. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 24 Speak as a team equal Do not hover over the shoulder to expedite work Interact in terms of tickets Exercise care to give credit where due Plan, break down, and delegate tasks How should I manage a tech? Provide clear direction Proactively manage status of tickets Manage burn out rate by not overloading techs Exercise reason and coordinate new work with your techs 25. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 25 Dragons: Hold the fort. 26. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 26 Walk-by favors Scope creep Requirement alterations Unclear requirements Outside forces What to defend techs against? Meetings Disruptive team dynamics Overtime Mis-management by management at any level 27. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 27 Fear: Listen to those in the trenches. 28. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 28 Do not punish failed efforts Manage turn over rate as not to hurt morale Identify areas of discontent Observe management as a possible source for tech stress Take decisive action in presence of fear Is my team afraid? Encourage for concerns to be raised Listen to issues through the grapevines Embrace uncomfortable information constructively Do not take everything is great for an answer 29. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 29 Expectations: You get what you put in. 30. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 30 Address one issue per ticket Link related tickets Attach as much documentation as possible to ticket Do not wait for tech to ask for more information; have it ready Communicate clarifications and details within ticket How to effectively communicate expectations? Communicate in tickets Attach any outside correspondence to ticket Transfer verbal communications post-mortem to ticket Never ever repurpose a ticket 31. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 31 Productivity: Compare apples to apples. 32. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky4/24/14 32 Focus on clarity of requirements Break requirements into digestible chunks Clearly document requirements Apply a bullet point approach versus novel style Offload tech from having to worry about project management How do we get things done? Plan requirements thoroughly Triage issues before passing them off to tech Business owns miscommunications in requirements Learn from Art of War 33. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 33 Every ticket has different levels of complexity Match task complexity with competency level of tech Demonstrate awareness of task complexity to tech Keep an eye out for techs who only pick easy tasks Complex tasks time vs. output can be visualized exponentially How do I measure productivity? Do not compare number of tickets between techs Simple tasks time vs. output can be visualized linear Observe a tech delivers what he or she committed to Optionally manage task completion percentages for each tech 34. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 34 Meetings: Dont look busy. Be busy. 35. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 35 Meetings are necessary but often overdone for techs Decisions should simply be passed on to tech in tickets Invite tech leads to meetings and save others Disruptive to a techs workflow Break in concentration needs costly ramp-up time to return What impact do meetings have on tech? Business loves problem solving via meetings Reserve meetings to beginning of day before work begins Techs see most meetings as a waste of their time Meetings covering technical issues tend to be more welcome 36. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 36 Time box meeting to no more than five minutes per person Have someone track time and interrupt spill over Encourage more of a status meeting for tech Reserve more chatty meetings to leads Discourage questions and discussions to form So how do we effectively meet ? Apply a stand up format Web cams are effective for remote teams attention Phone meetings are less effective Show genuine interest in what is being communicated 37. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 37 Quotes: Food for thought. 38. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 38 We are in an at-will state. You did not deliver what was asked. Look it up in the requirements. Did you even read the requirements? All hands on deck. What are some shortcuts to distance a tech? I am your boss ! He did the estimate, now you need to deliver. Dont bother the client with questions. You have to work weekends until further notice. 39. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 39 Misstep: The donts of management. 40. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 40 Dont compare tech to tech Dont compare tech to business Dont make close-ended statements Dont make snide remarks Dont give back-handed compliments What should I never do? Dont compare anyones achievements, progress, hours Dont oversimplify or down play complexity of issues Dont offer rhetorical help Dont be a prevaricator 41. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 41 Positives: Small things do great things. 42. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 42 Surprise them with a physical token of appreciation Show appreciation personally and publicly Flexible work arrangements and flex time Take time to meet with tech one-on-one to catch up Provide guidance to empower your tech to grow and advance How can we motivate? Treat them like humans Take out your team on your dime whether they know it or not Manage a techs health and refuse engagement if overworked Money works just as good on tech as they do on business 43. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 43 Recap: Simple things to remember. 44. Prepared & Presented by Milan Adamovsky2/27/14 44 A ticket workflow needs to be clearly defined Break down requirements into single issue tickets Manage project logistics for your tech Shield tech from business distractions Show accountability and appreciation towards your tech What are our takeaways? Tickets are at the core of effective tech management Tech does the work, business defines and manages it Provide a well defined working structure Take good care of your techs 45. Thank you for your time and attention. Connect with me on milan.adamovsky@gmail.comEmail :