Ask HN: Seeking advice from programmers for non-programmers

I'll answer the ones I have answers for:

- How do software engineers perceive business types?

The stereotype is that you guys are a bit jockish, and/or that you tend to have good social skills but less hard/technical skills.

- How do they come to respect or disrespect someone in this role?

I'll respect a business person who makes the effort to understand the engineering (and I don't mean humoring me by asking for a one hour programming lesson - it's more important that you understand technical issues on a high level), as well as give comprehensible and straightforward answers to any questions I have about his. A smart programmer has to know when to put business before his sense of engineering elegance or desire to make a cool product, and if you can be sensitive to how hard/frustrating that can sometimes be, so much the better.

- What can a business type do to build trust with a programmer?

Try to understand what I'm doing and what's hard about it, and explain to me the same about what you're doing.

- What motivates programmers? Success? Personal fulfillment? Money?

Depends, but I'd say success and money in a startup are nearly, if not, the same thing. Desire for personal fulfillment is probably a little more common among programmers than business types, but that might be my own stereotype of business types talking (though I knew a lot of business students as an undergrad, and dated one for two years, so it's not totally unjustified).

- What do programmers think motivates business types?

Money.

Be organised as hell and keep things under control. The programmer will appreciate when things are running smoothly, and all he has to do is fill in the correct spots and then get to coding, and does not have to worry about if articles are out, if there are spelling errors on pages or stuff like that.

Be the one that stays calm, keeps the processes running smoothly, keeps on doing analysis to make sure things are running on the right path.

When the programmer feels he is in a smoothly running engine, then he will need you around. When you start discussing things all the time and panicking, he will want to step into your territory to help out, and then he will start worrying and become a lot less productive.

There isn't always a 'why' that makes sense. A lot of ways in which things are done are determined by their history, not by what one would expect to work best. Moreover, business/selling is not an exact science, so you should not expect the salesman to provide reasons that make rational sense.

So, from the other side of the fence, you need to make sure your engineers understand that.

> How can I best approach a software engineer with an idea?

Back up a step. Why are you approaching said engineer with that idea? Yes, I know that you want said engineer to build it, but why should anyone build that idea and not some other idea?

I'm sure that you've got good supporting arguments, but if you don't provide them, you're indistinguishable from the vast majority, who have nothing.

It's okay if there are holes in your arguments IF you admit them and talk about them. If we find significant holes that you don't tell us about, our experience tells us that there are additional problems and that you're incompetent and/or deceptive. That's not likely to lead where you'd like to go.

In short, tell us everything. We'll ignore what we don't need to know.

- How do software engineers perceive business types?

Business types are people. I evaluate on character plus effectiveness. When forming an opinion, I generally look at their past success, their history of screwing people over (or not), and their smarmyness (or not), as well as their ability to communicate.

- How do they come to respect or disrespect someone in this role?

See above.

- How can I best approach a software engineer with an idea?

With a referral and/or some demonstrated way that you've done a ton of homework, and you understand what you're getting into.

Also, please demonstrate respect and partnership. "We need a coder for this", while not overtly disrespectful, implies that you see your technical partners job as one-dimensional.

- What can a business type do to build trust with a programmer?

Good referrals, pay invoices ahead of schedule, don't change scope often or arbitrarily.

- Horror stories or success stories about these two worlds coming together in startup glory or catastrophe

Rather not share right now.

- What motivates programmers? Success? Personal fulfillment? Money?

Some combination. I think most of us need adequate levels of all of the above, with one factor we can point to as being excellent.

- What do programmers think motivates business types?

Money, ego.