Context switching and interruptions can make you busy really quickly
Why are you so busy?
111–120 of 130 posts
Re: Why are you so busy?
#112What does this mean: "We’ve modeled the architecture, work, and communications of the team(s) as effectively as you can (with respect to what you can influence)" I get modeling systems, but can someone enlighten me? This seemed like a straightforward and high quality article, so I'd like to understand every inch of it.
Great question! I'll try my best to explain, though it's late and I may ramble – apologies in advance.
(You said you understand this bit but I'll put it here too just incase someone else could benefit). By modelling "the architecture", I'm referring to the architecture or the design of the system where work is happening. Think, for example, whether it's a system composed of many small components (modules, micro-services, micro-frontends, mono-repo), or a single large application (more traditional monolith).
By modelling "work" I mean: how do you distribute the work and the ownership of that work to teams. You can't easily have teams that share ownership, because if everyone is responsible then no one is. And you need to ensure responsibility for work is clear. For example, what are the outcomes you need from the other team building out that new API? Does your team also integrate code into those services that the other team are building? Probably not, but for some it isn't always clear. And if it's fundamentally required, how can you have many teams effectively contributing code to a single service without stepping on each other's toes and dilluting the concept of ownership?
By "communications of the team(s)" I mean to say that you need to influence how teams communicate. In a perfect world, all teams would be perfectly autonomous and never need to have the overhead of talking to or depending on another team to deliver work. In reality, teams need to communicate but there are different models to facilitate this (self service systems, service oriented software design, documentation, etc.). Organic collaboration can be harmful as companies grow beyond certain limits if not kept in check. The book Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton is a deep dive on this topic if you find that interesting.
I hope that answers your question.
Re: Why are you so busy?
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
That reminds me of the military saying "slow is smooth, smooth is fast".
I like that analogy a lot! I've just realised that the same thing applies to racing, for example. The way I tend to play racing simulators is that I try to go full throttle all the time, and then when I stumble upon sharp turns, I just crash into them, losing much more time than I would if I didn't try to go as fast as I can all the time.
This is actually a thing in real racing, the fastest times through complex curves look slow.
Re: Why are you so busy?
#114I have a question: I've noticed that whenever I talk to Americans, or read American blogs and books, they always tend to talk about working so many hours. Personally having worked in Switzerland and Holland I've never experienced this.
Is it that Americans actually structurally work overtime? Or is it the braggadocio way American English works where everything is always in hyperbole? Has anybody here worked on both continents? Can you tell me more whether a cultural divide exists?
Re: Why are you so busy?
#115Whenever I read articles like this filled with buzzwords and a LinkedIn way or looking at the world, I am always under the impression that the main driving force behind the busyness and burnout is just the fact that it's all unimportant nonsense and the worker is aware of it whether on a conscious or unconscious level.
"Leader-ofleaders"? We are talking about attention economy software and scrum meetings, not Hannibal crossing the goddamn Alps.
Re: Why are you so busy?
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a business owner myself this is total nonsense. I proudly pay my staff well and I don't overwork them. Anything else is a choice and it's a choice that nearly always benefits you not your employees.
Yes. Sounds like an unprofitable business where the owner refuses to accept reality that the work conditions are marginal because the business is marginal.
Business cycles sensitivity = marginal business?
Big cyclical reversion on its way that will test your theory wherever you are employed.
Re: Why are you so busy?
#117What does this mean: "We’ve modeled the architecture, work, and communications of the team(s) as effectively as you can (with respect to what you can influence)" I get modeling systems, but can someone enlighten me? This seemed like a straightforward and high quality article, so I'd like to understand every inch of it.
Great question! I'll try my best to explain, though it's late and I may ramble – apologies in advance. (You said you understand this bit but I'll put it here too just incase someone else could benefit). By modelling "the architecture", I'm referring to the architecture or the design of the system where work is happening. Think, for example, whether it's a system composed of many small components (modules, micro-servi…
Thank you. A quibble: "model" may not be the best choice of verb here (it's what threw me off). I think "have well understood processes in place" is what you're trying to communicate, which is both "model" and "adhere".
Re: Why are you so busy?
#118As a tech lead, when you're asked to deliver more, the first impulse tends to be asking your team "how can we do more work?" The correct question should be "What can we NOT do?" - and usually there's a long list of things that don't generate business value - from processes, meetings, reporting and overly detailed planning sessions to technical hurdles including slow builds, pre-check in hooks, sign off requirements e…
A good question to ask: why is it a part of our business process to do things that don't generate business value?
The honest answer is usually: we don't really know what is the right process for us, but because we couldn't admit it, we tried to replicate somebody else's process.
"Nobody ever got fired for implementing OKRs".
Re: Why are you so busy?
#119As a tech lead, when you're asked to deliver more, the first impulse tends to be asking your team "how can we do more work?" The correct question should be "What can we NOT do?" - and usually there's a long list of things that don't generate business value - from processes, meetings, reporting and overly detailed planning sessions to technical hurdles including slow builds, pre-check in hooks, sign off requirements e…
> I know that most feel that they absolutely HAVE to do these things, since there are part of the business process/ definition of done/company guidelines etc... Anecdote: at current position I've noticed 100% of my team time goes to "these things". As a team lead I tried to figure out the actual necessity. After I've "lost" the half of the team insisting on doing all the rituals the remaining half started to deliver…
As the company gets bigger, it naturally starts doing more rituals. Some are justified, most are a cargo cult.
The sad part is that since rituals are an inherent to a big company, following (and enforcing) rituals is synonymous to being professional. And fighting them is often seen as amateur.
No, I'm not doing performance reviews and weekly 1:1 with each team member. Not because I'm an amateur, but because I'm in the trenches with them every day. Maybe I'll start doing those when we get bigger. But let's get there first.
Re: Why are you so busy?
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you want to remain functional during lengthy and stressful life events, it is critical to understand your capacity, prioritize the tasks ahead, seek skilled collaborators/contractors, and forgive yourself for the things you simply cannot do. When a life-crisis turns into an extended campaign, it is essential to know how to prevent yourself from burning out. Burning beyond that level must be reserved for true emerg…
I could be mistaken, yet can't help but imagine divorce when reading such lines: >When a life-crisis turns into an extended campaign It's sad to see people trying hard to keep a stoic stance while such a vile thing is being done to them. Why such ruinous dynamics didn't get a society-wide political solution for a decade after decade... My generation is afraid to marry due to reading such stories.
With the important acknowledgement that divorce can be devastating to many people, especially children (myself included):
One can readily argue that divorce was created to solve the problem of entrapment in unhealthy marriages.
The possibility of divorce ought to make people more willing to marry; it is possible to escape if everything goes wrong.