The Process

At the workplace my project has been selected for CMMi Audit. I was never so busy in my career doing the most boring tasks I ever did. I don’t despise process, but I am strongly of the opinion that any software development process should help the development team to improve their work. And I can’t think of better people than the members of the team to decide how they want things to be done.

But not so in large bureaucratic organizations, they need to have a well defined process for things that does not mean anything to the business of software development. Most of the process are organized around Trust or rather the lack of it. What if somebody puts in malicious code ? What if the code moved into the development server is not the one the developer has given for review. Make the people enter forms in triplicate, have checklists for each and every action at each and every stage of the lifecycle.

Another thing that comes to my mind is the ego associated with the higher management when it comes to audit. Any gaps found in the process is taken very seriously only because its causes the department head some embarrassment.

A process should be followed only if its helps the development team in delivering a good quality product and not because someone said so or its defined in the CMMi practices. Only then the development team would be following those processes.

Filed under: cubicle, everything else , audit, CMMi, process, work, workplace

Measuring Success @ Work

Every year my company sets a few goals for me and defines the measures for determining my performance in meeting those goals.  This year they came up with templates, a template for a Software Engineer, a template for a Team Leader and so on. 

I hate templates, they put you in a mould. Templates generalize things ( goals in this case) . They have one serious problem, a template can’t fit everyone. I can’t fit in a template because I am different from the person who sits in the next cubicle to mine and so are everybody else.

How can the goals be same for all of us? I agree that they are based on designation, but still all team leaders are not the same. 

I guess this makes the job of HR easier, cast everybody in the same mould. I differ!

Instead of templates, establish a framework, a set of guidelines within which employees can set up their own goals. Let the managers sit with his/her teams and come up with specific goals aligned to that of the department/company. Then measure them and see if he/r has met them.  Then reward!!!

Is it so difficult to achieve ? What do you think ? Does the company you work for does something similar to templates or something different ? Let me know in the comments.

Filed under: cubicle , goals, job, success, work