Skilled Developers Aren't Fungible

It angers me just thinking about it: "We want our developers to be fungible".

A large bank I worked with wanted all its software developers to be cross-trained to the point where they were fungible, and could easily be substituted for each other.

"Fungible" is used in finance to mean financial instruments that are so equivalent that they can be used to offset each other. For example, if you could buy a silver contract on a NY exchange, and you can get out of the position by selling a silver contract on the Hong Kong exchange, then the two contracts are considered fungible. The regulators and clearing houses consider them equivalent.

But you can't turn a whole bunch of skilled software engineers, working on different projects, into complete commodities that can replace each other at the drop of a hat.

© 2020 Praveen Puri

The Six Sigma Fallacy in IT

"Six Sigma" was originally created for manufacturing, to eliminate defects.

The original proponents, like GE, never applied it to the engineering and design depts, where innovation and original thinking were required to create.

That's the big fallacy in applying it to software—what developers do is engineering.  The equivalent of "manufacturing" in software is "copy" or "cut and paste", which don't have defects.

© 2020 Praveen Puri

2020 PMO Impact Summit Teaser Video

I'm speaking 2020 PMO Impact Virtual Summit in September.

My topic is "IT Strategy and Project Management Success Using the Strategic Simplicity® Framework".

 You can register and find out more at: https://pmostrat.ositracker.com/161948/12160.


© 2020 Praveen Puri

3 Skills Needed for Cross-Functional Leadership

Do you want to successfully lead cross-functional teams? I've done it, and here are the top 3 skills you should have:

1. Troubleshooting:  A leader needs to be able to help determine under which area a problem falls.  For example, if the team is not sure if a drop in sales is due to a sales problem or a marketing problem, then the leader can help the team devise tests that the market-oriented team member and sales-oriented member can apply to determine who should have ownership of the issue.

2. Communication:  A cross functional leader needs to be able to understand and translate the language of different areas.  For example, if a programmer on the team explains an issue to a marketer in technical jargon, causing confusion, the leader needs to step in and translate it from technical into marketing lingo.

3. Agility:  A cross functional leader has to be comfortable pivoting his/her team, as information and situations change.  For example, an issue might appear to being caused by a marketing problem but, as the team starts investigating, it becomes clear that it is caused by faulty customer-relation software, then the leader must get the team to pivot the issue to it's technical members.

© 2020 Praveen Puri

2020 PMO IMPACT Summit

I will be one of the featured speakers at the 2020 Virtual Summit on Project Management / Project Management Office.

If you're interested in IT strategy, project management, project portfolio management, Agile, etc., I hope you'll attend.

© 2020 Praveen Puri

Effective tips for reporting bad news to a boss or client during a reporting meeting

1. Before approaching your boss/client, double check the facts. Make sure you know the problem, ramifications, and possible solutions / mitigations.

2. The best way to deliver is to summarize the situation concisely, like the first paragraph of a newspaper article. Then, follow up with the top options. Only bring up the data or background narrative if it is asked for.

3. The best way to deliver the news is face-to-face. If this can't be dome in a timely manner, then a phone call. #management #reporting

© 2020 Praveen Puri

Everything New Emerges from Turbulence | Amy Segami | TEDxWilmetteWomen

My friend, and fellow management consultant, Amy Segami gave this Ted Talk on Turbulence, and how we need to embrace it if we want change and innovation.  As it turned out, it was very timely!


© 2020 Praveen Puri