Re:Doing too much work on one's own before looping in others
by jkaptur on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @04:26PM
(#30078298)
It's great to see "I'm still exploring X" called out as a standup antipattern. I've heard and (hi Zach!) said this many times.
... But I've generally heard it most frequently from the tech lead and/or manager at the standup. It's easy to justify: "as the TL/M, my work is ill-defined, meeting-heavy, complex, externally-focused, and long-term! I'm not just building a feature! It's hard to describe!"
In my experience, this culture percolates with lightning speed: more junior folks immediately understand that to be senior and high-status is to give vague updates (often with a dramatic sigh and a self-deprecating joke about getting nothing done).
So it's good to exhort feature-building ICs to show incremental progress on that feature, but I think this article should have a heavier focus on the most senior folks at the standup.
... But I've generally heard it most frequently from the tech lead and/or manager at the standup. It's easy to justify: "as the TL/M, my work is ill-defined, meeting-heavy, complex, externally-focused, and long-term! I'm not just building a feature! It's hard to describe!"
In my experience, this culture percolates with lightning speed: more junior folks immediately understand that to be senior and high-status is to give vague updates (often with a dramatic sigh and a self-deprecating joke about getting nothing done).
So it's good to exhort feature-building ICs to show incremental progress on that feature, but I think this article should have a heavier focus on the most senior folks at the standup.