4 Principles Used By Successful Software Engineers
As a junior software engineer: I was slow and my dev process was painful. Every change to the code required a painful, tedious, and manual process to reload and test.
Have you ever done something the wrong way because you just didn’t know any better? That was me. I was too new to know any better. And needed more experience.
As a senior software engineer - I was fast. Bugs were quickly squashed and I delivered enhancements at a rapid page.
What was the difference?
Experience showed me the value of a ruthlessly efficient process to quickly iterate on the Dev-Deploy-Debug (DDD) feedback loop. DDD is my proprietary term. It’s not in a textbook but trust me, it’s real. I’m just the one giving it a name.
My process worked for me. The task is to find what works for you. Simple, not easy.
These four steps are the foundation for fast tracking to the top of your team. Get ahead. Stay ahead.
Ruthless Efficiency
Ruthless efficiency is the foundation of the pyramid that supports everything else. Use it separate yourself from the crowd. Craft a ruthlessly efficient development process. The DDD feedback loop can always be optimized.
Use software hacks, life hacks, automations, specialized apps, shortcuts and raw knowledge to make improvements.
The software engineering community is very aware of the benefits to speed. My point is calling it out as mission critical. Finding the tools that give you an edge is non-negotiable.
My case study example is from a past employer and their process for a developer to get the latest dev build. Updating to the latest was a massive pain, error prone and completely manual. Developers reported spending one half day (or longer!) just to complete. We flipped the script by creating a new tool to automate the entire process. With the tool, the update process was standardized, automated and performed in about 30 minutes. Not only did we help the existing teams, but the tool reduced the onboarding time for new developers.
Hustle
Invest time into learning what is scary. Don’t be an expert, but knowing “just enough” greases the wheels of opportunity. Waiting for opportunity to learn something tricky is the perfect recipe to be always the bridesmaid.
Invest time into learning because that knowledge will make you stand out. You’re over estimating the knowledge of your peers. I promise, they know less than you think they do. Experience will teach you when to focus on breadth (learning new things) versus depth (expanding existing knowledge).
Genius is a handicap. Delivering results makes Bosses happy. Happy Bosses means better rewards.
Hustle to find the A+ problems in your organization. Leverage your relationships to find the problems and projects that will move the needle. If necessary, ask to be on that team.
Pro tip: Don’t ever be the first loser (aka 2nd place) because someone outworked you.
Build Great Relationships
Go out of your way to be an amazing teammate. Avoid team drama like the plague.
Bosses assign Opportunity. Build great relationships with everyone especially those above you. Follow the money. Figure out who controls the budget. Then SHOW THEM you can be trusted to deliver value every single time. Do amazing work.
Getting reps is the key to experience. Obviously. Build relationships with the important players in your company. More reps means more experience. More experience means more opportunity.
Treat everyone like they matter. The receptionist, the junior team member, the new person in a different department - smile and say hello. Send a welcome DM. It’s easy. And it and makes you a better person.
Shipping Code Solves Problems
The best developers ship quality code multiple times per week. Work that is scoped appropriately can be delivered in incremental changes.
Teams that ship code daily are too busy to allow distractions to cause problems.
Engineers that push code frequently show that they can be trusted. It’s a vicious cycle - stay ahead of it.
What Next?
Reflect on your experience in a software team. Where did you struggle? Can you trace it back to one of these foundational principles. What advice would you give yourself 2, 5 or 10 years ago?
Happy Tuesday.
Make something happen.