9. A Real Problem...
costs time and money
is a detriment to quality and efficiency
can create friction between team members
10. Finding a real problem
are there processes that are painful for the team
(deployment, bug tracking...)
is subpar code regularly introduced to live
environments
do you even know what’s going on?
11. Find one to solve
pick a problem that will solve an organizational
problem (not just yours) - talk to your teammates
research options for solving this problem
decide on a solution and start mastering it
don’t bring it up to your boss yet...we’re being strategic
remember
12. This is hard...
you’re doing this because no one else will
you HAVE to know what you’re talking about
use the time available to you
prove the problem exists and your solution fixes it
13. “Hey boss, we suck at
this”
pointing out problems is scary
do research, back up your findings
Value facts over opinions
If you can’t prove it, you shouldn’t try to change it until
you can
14. “This is a lot of extra
work”
change implemented haphazardly is more disastrous
you want to make things better, right?
it’s less work if you’re already an expert (so start there
if you can)
becoming in expert beneficial for everyone
16. Good job!
now you have to sell it to your boss
don’t waste your effort with poor presentation
invest the time to present well
17. The Elevator Pitch
a short pitch on what the problem is and how you
intend to fix it
don’t ramble
be professional, show tact
18. “2nd floor please”
the elevator pitch probably won’t get you permission
a good one shows that you care
the goal is get a “tell me more”
have a training and implementation plan ready to go!
19. “Tell me more...”
develop a strong visual presentation
you’ll be giving this to technical and non-technical
people
use the data you found in research
take feedback and use it to make your plan better
20. Keep it perspective
you are responsible for bringing value to the company
good ideas are shot down all the time, it’s probably not
you
it’s ok to get frustrated, it means you care
22. “Great plan Johnson!”
this is a tough place to get to
having backing will help deal with uncooperative team
members
you got permission, don’t be timid
use it as an opportunity to mentor
23. Don’t let it languish
technology changes quickly
all eyes are on you
encourage your team to go deeper
value has been added, work to keep it there
24. You Stay Classy San
Diego
stay professional
organizational
win!
26. Don’t give up yet
feels awful
if you can, find out why
don’t be discouraged
continue learning to make a stronger case
27. Feels awful
you didn’t waste your time
you proved you care, they’ll remember that
be bummed (just don’t do anything stupid)
stay grounded in reality
28. What did I do wrong?
Talk to the appropriate person
Build a stronger case if you need to
Get as much info as you can
29. “chin up kid”
don’t assume the worst
if you can use the process yourself, you should
adversity is a great motivator
30. Common areas for
change
automated testing
test driven development
version control (sadly enough)
continuous integration
continuous deployment
coding standards
31. It’s your career
some places won’t change
being stuck hurts your skills
you should be able to grow at work
poor implementation or understanding kills change by effectively communicating what you are doing and why, you can build a stronger case
great organizations have room for change working on something that solves a problem will help you improve your skills complaining helps you...sometimes, but it’s not helpful to your organization
this takes a lot of work, but it’s good for you and your organization every organization is different, has a different organizational structure and culture
Fear - devs or management afraid that something is going to break Misunderstanding - misunderstanding of the effort required, the process needed to make the change Frustrated - too many things to learn, overwhelmed by fast-pace of technology
If you don’t know what’s wrong, you can’t fix it If there’s something that makes your job harder, it’s worth looking into.
