What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
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What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
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Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#2I couldn't shake my knee-jerk response to this title: "Get a technical boss"
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#3I couldn't shake my knee-jerk response to this title: "Get a technical boss"
Right? It is so frustrating that the easiest way to make more money in a company is by getting into the management track- so then you have non-tech experts overseeing projects that require sophisticated knowledge- startups have the benefit of letting experts do both the tech work and the management. But that starts to fall off as companies grow and start considering things like branding, financing, HR etc etc etc.
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#4We usually refer ours to a Dilbert strip that defines the exact problem. Fortunately he has a sense of humor :)
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#5I couldn't shake my knee-jerk response to this title: "Get a technical boss"
Well, one problem is that if you promote someone who is good technically to be a manager they can quickly lose track of what is sensible from a current technical perspective - knowledge of specifics of technologies can have a very short half life (say a year or so).
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#6Fire him.
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#7I couldn't shake my knee-jerk response to this title: "Get a technical boss"
Well, one problem is that if you promote someone who is good technically to be a manager they can quickly lose track of what is sensible from a current technical perspective - knowledge of specifics of technologies can have a very short half life (say a year or so).
There's technical knowledge with longer shelve-life, too. (Think compiler construction vs the latest craze.)
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#8get rid of managers - see Fred George and Programmer Anarchy
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#9The practical bit:
"Instead, a technical expert could offer chances for the boss to save face when they are caught suggesting something that is a bad idea."
Which I think is a very smart technique with respect to all negotiations!
Re: What to do when your non-technical boss is just plain wrong
#10I couldn't shake my knee-jerk response to this title: "Get a technical boss"
Well, one problem is that if you promote someone who is good technically to be a manager they can quickly lose track of what is sensible from a current technical perspective - knowledge of specifics of technologies can have a very short half life (say a year or so).
As a programmer doing more and more managerial work (but thankfully not 100% of the time yet), I try to keep my knowledge up-to-date by working on side projects. May not be the perfect solution but it sure helps.