Earlier quoted context omitted.
If it gets canonized, I'd much prefer "cancerous prototype" because it's easier to say.
"metastatic prototype"
You mean metatastic prototype?
Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
51–56 of 56 posts
Re: Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
#52I was on a project that produced a carcinogenic prototype. The irony was we knew it at the time. Before it was shown to the higher-ups, us developers joked that they'd like the prototype so much they'd come back with a completely unrealistic deadline for the finished product. They did. They wanted it ready in 3 months. I estimated 10. We delivered something - I'd hesitate to call it a finished product - 15 months lat…
Not at all - the day you went wrong was the day you wrote code that worked and assumed that the people paying you would let you rewrite it later. That never happens, unless you force the issue by making the first version fundamentally unsalvageable through choice of language or something like that. If you don't know for sure that you can't (for a very real reason, like the fact that AS3 won't run on iOS) ship a line…
We were asked to produce a prototype in a two month time frame and we did. It was the subsequent unrealistic time frame after we demonstrated the prototype that did the damage.
Re: Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my experience, one easy way to determine how good the job is going to be is based on the pecking order of various departments in the company. At a company that does software, the software developers are usually at or near the top. Alternatively, at a marketing company, the marketers are at the top and the software developers may very well be near the bottom. You can gather this information in a number of ways in a…
> Generally, try to work for a company that makes money on software or technology. A company that makes money on other products or services is likely to treat software developers as a low-level function of the organization. I'd say this is usually good advice, but with a caveat: larger companies with deep chains of command -- even software companies -- typically have "management culture". These types of companies put…
The reason I asked is effectively because your comment and the OP more or less describe the type of company I work for.
Re: Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Generally, try to work for a company that makes money on software or technology. A company that makes money on other products or services is likely to treat software developers as a low-level function of the organization. I'd say this is usually good advice, but with a caveat: larger companies with deep chains of command -- even software companies -- typically have "management culture". These types of companies put…
The reason I asked is effectively because your comment and the OP more or less describe the type of company I work for.
Some people thrive in such an environment. For those people, it's certainly not dysfunctional. Many companies with such deep hierarchies are in no immediate danger of going under -- they got so massive by being successful, after all. I think that once a company reaches a particular size, they stop trying to succeed and start trying not to fail. Again, some people really do enjoy that environment.
To me, it felt like a psychological prison. I managed to break out.
The only advice I can give is this: if you're unhappy where you are, start planning your escape. Start networking and be patient; in my experience, this is the way to land a good job. On the other hand, if you're content at your current company then who cares what other people call dysfunctional?
Re: Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
The reason I asked is effectively because your comment and the OP more or less describe the type of company I work for.
Some people thrive in such an environment. For those people, it's certainly not dysfunctional. Many companies with such deep hierarchies are in no immediate danger of going under -- they got so massive by being successful, after all. I think that once a company reaches a particular size, they stop trying to succeed and start trying not to fail. Again, some people really do enjoy that environment. To me, it felt like…
"On the other hand, if you're content at your current company then who cares what other people call dysfunctional?"
That can induce bad habits.
People look askance at resumes from successful Microsoft employees because to succeed in the last N years they had to do things that add no value to anything other than surviving or thriving at that dysfunctional company. Why hire such an person if there's a good chance he'll do some damage to your company while you attempt to deprogram him, during which he'll be much less productive that someone from a less damaged company.
(OK, finding the latter might actually be difficult....)
Re: Symptoms of Dysfunction in Software Teams
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some people thrive in such an environment. For those people, it's certainly not dysfunctional. Many companies with such deep hierarchies are in no immediate danger of going under -- they got so massive by being successful, after all. I think that once a company reaches a particular size, they stop trying to succeed and start trying not to fail. Again, some people really do enjoy that environment. To me, it felt like…
" On the other hand, if you're content at your current company then who cares what other people call dysfunctional? " That can induce bad habits. People look askance at resumes from successful Microsoft employees because to succeed in the last N years they had to do things that add no value to anything other than surviving or thriving at that dysfunctional company. Why hire such an person if there's a good chance he'…
You're absolutely correct, but I'll answer your question:
> Why hire such an person if there's a good chance he'll do some damage to your company while you attempt to deprogram him, during which he'll be much less productive that someone from a less damaged company.
Hire such a person if you happen to be hiring for a dysfunctional company. They've got the experience, and they'll appear productive immediately.
So then the "black mark" on the resume only becomes a hindrance if after, say, 10 years a person finally decides to break out. It's still possible, but it will take a lot more work.