RE: Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

Hi Glen,
 

[Steve Ropa] <snip good stuff>
 

RE: your conversations with your VP, if its anything like it is here there is very little time to discuss the broader issues. Our management team of four (with a staff of 120) only gets to talk strategy outside our prescheduled strategy development meetings at lunch or after hours. Even then interruptions and of business steals our time. As one looking "into" the org I'd rather have the functional managers be the source of the solution for the "pluggable replacements" than to let that view leak out of the small senior management group - but in that senior management group, there are many times that the staff is just that "resources," to be planned and rearranged.

 



[Steve Ropa] As you know, I usually agree with you on these matters.  There tends to be an oversensitivity to the idea of being thought  of as a "resource".  In this case, the vp in question is WAY overboard.  He is basically using the programmers for whatever other activities may come down the pike.  When I pointed out that some of these programmers don't want to do some of the activities in mind, he said "hey, we all have to help out."  When I asked who from the other groups would also be "helping out", he blustered, hemmed and hawed.  It was more than just plugging the hole in the line before the confederates can take the hill.  It was a demonstration of an attitude about these folks.
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Steve Ropa [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 8:06 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

 

that was what I tried. That was not the result I got.  I assigned him something.  He didn't like it. He asked me to assign him something else.......months go by following this cycle.  Every time, I start by asking him to pick something, we go back and forth, I eventually assign him something.  He doesn't like it......  If this were just one individual, I would just write him off as an anomaly, but this actually is an amalgam of about 70% of my team. 

 

On another note, after a few conversations with my vp, I think I know where this is coming from.  The vp preceded me here by about a year.  His attitude towards the team members is that they are pluggable units that pretty much don't have the ability to make decisions by themselves anyway.  Those of you who have seen any of my posts in the past will know that this is very much NOT my way of thinking.  I am thinking that he probably "programmed" them into believing this as well. I am deprogramming them, I think.  My evidence is those members who seem to be emerging from the haze and doing new and exciting things.  It probably goes without saying, but those are also the people that my VP is having the most difficulty with....

 

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: J. B. Rainsberger [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 4:54 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

Assign him something. When he finishes, ask him how he liked the work. If he didn't like it, ask him whether there was something else that he might have preferred doing. If that's still available, assign him that. Rinse and repeat.

 

Ron's "six months later she realized that she was making her own decisions all along" technique then becomes available.


So said Steve Ropa on 2/11/2003 --------------------

Sadly, I don't know.  I am inclined to think yes.

Case in point.  I have a list of "background projects" that are freely available for anyone who is not currently on a billable task.  The idea is that, if you aren't billable, look for something in here that is interesting and work on it.  Its pretty low pressure because these are all  nice to have experimental projects.

I am continually engaging in exchanges like:

"Steve, I don't have any billable work, what should I do?"
"Have you picked a background project?"
"No, which one should I do?"
"I don't know, what looks interesting?"
"I don't know which one do you want me to do?"
"Why don't you go take a look and see if anything is interesting.  Let me know ifyou have any questions."
"Well....ok"
A day or two later:
"Steve, what should I do?"
"Did you finish up on the background project?"
"You didn't tell me which one to do..."



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron Jeffries [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 3:34 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and 
> business drivers
> really need to know about XP?
> 
> 
> On Tuesday, February 11, 2003, at 2:54:40 PM, Steve Ropa wrote:
> 
> >> "I'm not going to do that. You know your abilities better 
> >> than I do. Your
> >> next mission is to sign up for the work. Begin now."
> >> 
> >> 
> > After a year of trying that, I gave up and just started 
> assigning work.  I still discuss with each
> > programmer first, and have proven to them that they have 
> the opportunity to opt out.  Not a satisfactory
> > answer, but its where we currently stand.  I haven't given 
> up, but I have definitely fallen back to regroup.
> 
> If you had waited, would everyone have just stopped working?
> 
> Ron Jeffries
> www.XProgramming.com
> Speculation or experimentation - which is more likely to give 
> the correct answer?
> 
> 
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J. B. Rainsberger,

President, Diaspar Software Services

Let's write software that people understand.

http://www.diasparsoftware.com/

telephone: +1 416 791-8603

All correspondence (c) 2002 Diaspar Software Services.

If you want to use it, just ask; don't steal.

 


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