Software Craftsman

[Will Myers]

Hi Sandro, I was just wondering how much of the book is devoted to influencing? In my experience you cn be the best developer in world but unless you get other members of your team to wake up you will get swamped with production line programming and cut and paste horrors. In my current role I have my own objetives to hit as well as having to re-write other "developers" code because they either do't or won't listen to reason.

[atul khot]

Hi,
I couldn't agree more. I strive a lot to write good code - and then it becomes part of the big system
- and most other code violates the rules...
There is no time/bandwidth to fix it... I think this is a very serious issue - unless most team members
are willing to read books, learn, practice - one craftsman's voice gets lost very easily...

--- regards atul

[Junilu Lacar]

There's another thread where a similar question was asked: https://coderanch.com/t/648049/Agile/Software-Crastmanship-Enterprise

You mustn't let yourself be discouraged by what others will do or not do despite your own efforts. You can't force people into things for which they're not ready or capable of doing, for whatever reason. Lead by example and produce results. If nothing else, it will always be a good thing for yourself and your career. And if you're lucky, you'll be able to inspire or influence one or two other people along the way. That's how a groundswell starts.

[Sandro Mancuso]

Will Myers wrote:
I was just wondering how much of the book is devoted to influencing?

The first half of the book is about what Software Craftsmanship and what it means to be a software craftsman. The second half of the book is about how we can bring Software Craftsmanship to organisations and I believe that it addresses many of your concerns.

Junilu Lacar wrote:
You mustn't let yourself be discouraged by what others will do or not do despite your own efforts. You can't force people into things for which they're not ready or capable of doing, for whatever reason. Lead by example and produce results. If nothing else, it will always be a good thing for yourself and your career. And if you're lucky, you'll be able to inspire or influence one or two other people along the way. That's how a groundswell starts.

Massive +1 here. There are things that you have almost no chance to change, mainly if you are not in a position of influence. Normally they are organisational changes. Other things are quite hard to change but you can make a difference and with a lot of hard work, you may be successful. Normally they are related to the behaviour of the people within your team. And there are things you can easily change, like your own behaviour.

Not doing certain things because others don't do is not really a great excuse. The best way to convince someone to change their behaviour is to show to them that there is a better way, and that starts with you being a role model and leading the way. Don't force. Don't shout. Don't say that what people do is wrong. This will only make them hate you and reject whatever you say to them, even when you are 100% right. Instead, be friendly and nice to everyone, but at the same time, show how awesome it is to work the way you do.

[Junilu Lacar]

+1 on what you said, Sandro, but I have to admit, it's very difficult to be friendly and nice to knuckleheads who, through their attitudes and actions, are in some way or another hindering your progress and preventing you from doing as best of a job as you possibly can. What's worse, some resistors and outright opponents create fear, uncertainty, and doubt in others who would have otherwise been willing to at least try your way so they can see for themselves what everyone is so excited about. That's when you just want to go over and slap some people upside the head, but you don't because you can't. Oh, but if only I could...