Re:The Framing of the Developer
by Supermancho on Wednesday May 06, 2020 @02:26AM
(#23088366)
This seems like a very specific set of experiences has set this developer up to make broad statements that do not fit with my reality.
> Feeling in control is one of the main drivers for happiness.
I'm not sure this person has ever developed a product, on their own. Feeling like you have some control is not the same thing as being in total control.
> The word backlog makes you think you are always behind finishing things. The frame says: Finishing means success. If we work from the backlog, we’ll have success. If we complete all the things I as a product owner have in my vision, we will have success.
> If a product fails in this frame, it is because we have not implemented the whole vision of the product manager.
No. It's a plan of things that the team might do. The backlog (and if you're lucky, the prioritization) is ever-changing. Many of the planned features aren't even controlled by the product manager, but by other dependencies (teams, markets, etc). This is why the product owner and product manager ends up being the same solitary role. It's efficient. You can pursue building ANYTHING FOREVER, so it doesn't even make sense to claim the backlog is a goal/finish line.
> In the backlog frame success is tied to implementing the items of the backlog.
No, that's your frame. It's not the paradigm. I like product managers. It's not my business to work harder, because I have an eventual productivity cadence (from collected metrics) which is what they have to work with and communicate to interested parties. Other than some light competition between peers, I'm not responsible for pushing to meet arbitrary goals. Everything is a negotiation. As a resource, I am what I am and we're all working together.
> Feeling in control is one of the main drivers for happiness.
I'm not sure this person has ever developed a product, on their own. Feeling like you have some control is not the same thing as being in total control.
> The word backlog makes you think you are always behind finishing things. The frame says: Finishing means success. If we work from the backlog, we’ll have success. If we complete all the things I as a product owner have in my vision, we will have success.
> If a product fails in this frame, it is because we have not implemented the whole vision of the product manager.
No. It's a plan of things that the team might do. The backlog (and if you're lucky, the prioritization) is ever-changing. Many of the planned features aren't even controlled by the product manager, but by other dependencies (teams, markets, etc). This is why the product owner and product manager ends up being the same solitary role. It's efficient. You can pursue building ANYTHING FOREVER, so it doesn't even make sense to claim the backlog is a goal/finish line.
> In the backlog frame success is tied to implementing the items of the backlog.
No, that's your frame. It's not the paradigm. I like product managers. It's not my business to work harder, because I have an eventual productivity cadence (from collected metrics) which is what they have to work with and communicate to interested parties. Other than some light competition between peers, I'm not responsible for pushing to meet arbitrary goals. Everything is a negotiation. As a resource, I am what I am and we're all working together.