Process, People, and Pods


Friday 3 August 2007

You Have the Wrong Team

As a project manager, you have just staffed your project. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but you have the wrong team. If you an experienced project manager, you already know this. But you did the best you could from the resources you had available. It is the wrong team because:

  • You are missing the experience you need in some key areas, and
  • The team members don't necessarily work well together.

Agile practices help here, particularly the practices of collocation (and you do sit with your team, don't you?) and pair programming. If you are missing experience, collocation and pair programming lets you grow that experience by judicious pairing. Knowledge transfer is quite rapid and efficient in this environment. Collocation also dampens down the "finger pointing" that often plagues teams. ("He doesn't understand!", "She is so stubborn!", and the like.) It is much more difficult to talk behind someone's back when she is sitting in the room with you.

If team members still have difficulty working together, your being in the room provides insights to the solution. Is it a matter of tone (challenging, dismissive, personal rather than business)? Then coach on interaction style. Is it disagreement on technical matters? Ensure swift resolution before it becomes personal.In this area, Agile practices can be a disadvantage:collocation and pair programming will exacerbate negative relationships. Whereas you might be able to ignore or defer action when each team member sits in their own cubes, such deferrals are quite destructive in an Agile team with its close proximity.

Net-Negative Producing Programmers (NNPP)

Agile luminaries have coined the term NNPP to identify team members whose overall impact to the project is negative. That is, the work they do is less than the harm they do to their colleagues' productivity. An NNPP may be productive outside of an Agile environment. In a cube, their griping has no listeners. There challenging, terse tone goes unheard. But given their visibility in a collocated environment...

I recently saw on the Web a report purporting to show the impact of one bad apple on the rest of the team. A single individual typically can negatively impact other team members numbering in double digits! So indeed, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

There are several ways to identify such individuals:

  • Observe. Being in the room, you can see the behavior. Even more important, you can see the impact on overall team. The situation can be corrected by coaching, or ultimately, removal.
  • Ask the team. The team knows who is acting incorrectly. Borrow a lesson from Survivor, and let the team vote someone off the island.
  • Who gets picked last? If pairing is practiced, who is the person no one wants to pair with?

If you fail as a project manager to act quickly on identified NNPP, morale issues will quickly ensue. Your inaction, in particular, will be glaringly obvious to the team. Your leadership, dedication, and even competence will come under question.

Once more for emphasis: Failure to address an NNPP problem will rapidly destroy team productivity.

The Continuing Issue

The real fatal flaw in staffing projects, and Agile projects in particular, is not realizing that the project staffing needs change throughout the project. Projects that acquire their staff, and then stick with that staff throughout, will incur excessive costs if not fail outright. Staffing must be adjusted throughout the project.

A few years back on an eight-month Agile project, I made 10 staff changes in the first 6 weeks. The core development team had 16 different participants, but only 4 were on the project for the entire time. Rather than being a disaster for such team instability, the project set high water marks for productivity and quality that have yet to be touched.

Why does staffing need to be adjusted throughout a project? It is for several reasons beyond staff quitting and needing to be replaced:

  • The needs of the project change throughout the project. DB tuning will be important at some stage, but not others. Knowledge of systems with which the project much integrate will be needed at some time. The general load of analysis, development, and testing will drift during the project.
  • Team members will grow during the project, particularly on projects lasting more than six months. Exploiting this growth is part of good team management. Again from the above example, I reduced the number of developers to six toward the end of the project. They produced so much code, however, it took 17 testers to keep up. The developers skills had increased that much.
  • An inbred team will cease innovating. Studies of innovation reveal a significant drop in innovation in a team that has been together for as little as six months. New blood is needed, even if only to challenge the patterns of current thinking.

As a project manager, you must constantly be alert to tweaking the team. You may raise eyebrows by constantly shifting your team composition; ignore them. When the need for an expert has passed, roll her off the project. Bring in a specialist when the need arises; exploit collocation and pair programming to harvest the knowledge and release the specialist. Perhaps that resource you really needed was not available at the start of the project. Bring them on board when they are available.

Successful team tuning requires building a strong relationship with two groups. First, be willing to share your experts with your colleagues. Hopefully, they will reward your good will with the loan of a needed expert of their own. Don't hoard resources when the need has passed; rather, release them to reduce your costs and maintain the morale of the resources. Second, build great relationships with your staffing or resource management team. Send them flowers or buy them a case of beer (or both); they will start to call you when a resource becomes available that you might use.

Application development is chaos; react or face corresponding chaos in your team.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you seen cases where an NNPP isn't a bad apple, but either:

1) "New blood.. challeng[ing] the patterns of current thinking"?

2) A journeyman or master programmer working with apprentices, who don't understand the "strange" OO ideas being espoused?

It seems either of these could also produce what could be labelled an NNPP, even though they're not a "bad apple".

Fred George said...

I haven't seen either of these situations labeled as NNPP. That is certainly not the same as saying it couldn't/wouldn't/doesn't happen. Certainly, a Master or Journeyman coming onboard a project full of Apprentices does create stress; it just doesn't seem to be labeled NNPP.
How do you upgrade skills on a running project? Do you have experience trying this? I will muse on it a bit more; I bet it is worth a post or two itself!
Thank you for your thoughts...

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梁爵 said...

2020.05.16酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容如果妳沒有接觸過酒店這八大行業,【酒店經紀梁曉尊】我在酒店上班的日子相信包括妳在內,很多人對這行業的第一個想法一定是:「酒店裡面酒店小姐一定有S?一定是龍蛇混雜,裡面 八大行業是哪八種行業呢?的人都是黑社會吸毒!打架、暴力脅迫女生陪睡…」等等電視上看來的畫面。
其實這跟【酒店經紀梁曉尊】所接觸的職場須知 【酒店PT 】酒店的實際情況有很大的出入。梁曉尊在酒店這行業已經有多年的經驗,到是從來沒有在如此黑暗的酒店工作過,或許妳聽人說到「酒店打工的小姐,如果客人看上了酒店小姐想帶小姐出去,公司就一定會強迫小姐出場!」而事實上就算是十幾年前的老酒店業也很少有這個情況更不用說當今Google資訊如此發達的年代,而且酒店小姐的來源幾乎掌控在酒店經紀人的情況下,如果有酒店以如此方法對小姐施以逼嚇之手段,一定會讓酒店經紀人對這家店嗤之以鼻,為了保護旗下小姐,沒有人會帶經紀小姐去那種店上班,酒店當然不會笨到為了一個小姐出場強迫小姐做她不想做的事而導致店方得罪酒店經紀人,沒有經紀人要帶小姐來這家酒店,導致這家酒店沒小姐來吸引客人,沒客人的結果就是關門大吉!
所以酒店小姐出場的方式皆是小姐的個人意願,客人想要帶小姐出場時,訪檯幹部都會問清楚客人要帶小姐去哪裡並告知小姐,只要小姐不想跟客人出去,酒店沒人能逼妳!有些酒店規定小姐出場只需陪客人到客人想去的地方,也不可能要求小姐跟客人出去就一定要S。
當然也會有小姐因為想賺取更多的收入,而跟客人私下交易自已接S,這就屬於小姐個人行為了。所以酒店小姐到酒店上班出場接S完全屬於小姐個人之行為,不必擔心說到酒店上班就一定要出場或接S的。
畢竟酒店是酒店,客人來酒店消費是要談生意、應酬、好友聚會高興一下!要的是喝酒微醺後忘記煩惱的感覺,如果他只是想解決生理問題,說真的大陸妹還比較便宜呢!!
如果妳要來酒店上班,梁曉尊是建議妳是要思考三點:
1.妳心理準備好到酒店上班了嗎?很多人誤信(也可能是自己騙自己帶著僥倖心態)網路/報紙上店家或酒店經紀人所刊登的廣告說:「免喝酒輕鬆月入數十萬…」。而事實上天底下沒有這麼好的事,如果真的免喝酒,輕輕鬆鬆就可以月入幾十萬,那我想要來酒店上班可能要抽籤決定妳有沒有這個福氣呢!!酒店經紀人也不用為了酒店一直缺小姐而努力應徵小姐的。再來是要說明一點,酒店雖說沒有這麼複雜,但是畢竟是客人來尋歡的地方,很多男人抱著花錢是大爺的心態竭盡所能在言語上汙辱妳、毛手毛腳,以灌妳喝酒為樂的客人也大有人在,這些都是酒店小姐工作上所需面對的,妳心理上做好準備了嗎?
2.有沒有找到真正專業又正派的酒店經紀人?雖然酒店這行已經透明化,不會讓妳上班時感覺像是被賣掉一樣,但是網路/報紙上偶爾還是出現有不肖酒店經紀人用毒品、放高利貸等等方式來控制小姐的新聞事件發生!所以妳有沒有找到一位正派的酒店經紀人是妳要入這行的一個重要起步!再來就是妳找的酒店經紀人有沒有足夠的酒店經驗及專業知識或者可以透過Google搜尋經紀人名稱是否有相關事業,這是妳尋找酒店經紀人有沒有能力幫妳處理事情的關鍵所在!如果妳的經紀人只會帶妳上下班、送飲料、幫妳領檯費,其它的一問三不知,就算是他人再好,我們還是要為了自己早日賺到錢脫離這行來著想,所以趕快換個經紀人吧!
3.了解自己適合哪種性質的酒店!基本上酒店可分為禮服店、便服店、制服店三種,其中的禮服跟便服都是不脫的,制服店才有在脫衣服跟秀舞。如果妳的條件不適合便服店就不要去制服店;明明是適合上便服店的條件,就不要硬要去制服店上班。
好好跟妳的酒店經紀人溝通,雖然便服店的尺度小,但是對於外貌身材是有一定的要求;而制服店雖然賺得比較多,但是妳也要尺度有到那。了解自己,明白酒店性質,跟酒店經紀人好好聊一下,妳才可以在酒店工作的這段時間裡如魚得水!。

梁爵 said...

2020.05.23酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容八大世界的融資邏輯在性交易不合法、陪侍業遊走於法律邊緣的情況下,酒店公關與我在酒店上班的日子性工作者常被屏除在社會安全網與信用制度外,幾乎不可能和銀行等金融機構借貸,辦房貸、車貸時需要人頭,這時就會向恩客或經紀人求援。經紀人除了確保酒店打工小姐們工作時的安全、陪上下班跑店接送、情緒低落時灌心靈雞湯外,也經常是她們的債主甚至信用保證人,要放貸酒店上班-酒店兼職-兼差如何達成人生的第一桶金必須自己口袋夠深,也有不少經紀人酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?被借錢借到倒。「我會借出去的款項,基本上都是我覺得沒有還也還好的數目,當然也要評估妹仔有沒有這個產值,正妹優先。」一名酒店經紀這樣談自己的借錢哲學職場須知 【酒店PT 】:「一個相貌普通的妹仔開口就要借個十幾萬,是不會有正常人想理她的,何況有的妹仔連上一任經紀人的錢都沒還完呢!」在顏值與人頭都能變現的世界,經紀人除了用各種管道開發有意進八大淘金的新血,有的也會從同行手中「洗妹」,像洗牌一樣把屬意的小姐洗到自己旗下,或是用妹海戰術賺錢。一個酒店小姐的經紀約平均交易價格是三萬元,有債務的則另議前後任經紀的償還比例,越弱勢的就會面臨越嚴苛的勞動條件。在肺炎疫情餘波未平、政府宣布八大全面歇業之際,手上銀彈多的經紀能「危機入市」,然而,洗妹要不犯江湖忌諱是一門大學問,擋人財路如殺人父母,事小的道歉包個紅包做結,大者是會動拳腳刀槍來拼命的。酒店、養生館為了店內秩序,禁止小姐們交流薪資與經紀人抽成比例,也難防耳語傳聞「唉呦你的公司怎麼這麼苛?我一節就拿多少多少說!」「你這麼正,怎麼在這邊上不好?你經紀人都不想辦法的噢?」「我可以幫你介紹某某,某某會幫你如此這般……」知道水深的老鳥不是幾句甜言蜜語過個水就洗得動,但在無限期停業的政策推一把後,頓失生計的八大基層會衍生多少糾紛、呆帳與治安問題?這些問題又會如何反饋到「光明社會」的這一面,恐怕不是此一時能夠斷言的。八大因疫情停業並不會讓情慾需求消失,一名應召站幹部說,「如果大家能滿足在家裡打手槍,那一開始就不會來了。」除了多與嫖客喇賽疫情的五四三,他依舊周休一日每天值班十二小時,整理新的花名冊,戮力為客人仲介各式各樣的溫柔。站在道德的相對高點,質疑他人的職業選擇、想像做八大一定日進斗金、要求紓困補助都是貪婪很容易,深入了解不同族群的苦衷、共同承擔困境永遠是最艱難的,希望在這波尚無配套的八大歇業命令後,大家可以思考:膝反射式的傲慢是否和瘟疫一樣致命?

梁爵 said...

2020.06.02酒店小姐的基本介紹跟工作內容武漢肺炎(COVID-19、新冠肺炎)疫情趨緩,全台各縣市陸續解禁我在酒店上班的日子酒店等行業,台中知名酒店,不敢來酒店上班-酒店打工的原因金錢豹今(1) 酒店上班-酒店兼職-兼差如何達成人生的第一桶金日恢復營業,酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?門口可見名車一輛接著一輛,酒店小姐下車後也都戴上口罩,並乖乖在大廳量體溫、酒精消毒,落實防疫政策。
等待已久的酒客們也紛紛來到職場須知 【酒店PT 】金錢豹尋歡,不過警方仍不敢大意,在金錢豹恢復營業第一天進行臨檢,確認酒店有落實實名制;而一名等待載客的計程車司機則表示,過去一晚可賺進2至3千,酒店因疫情衝擊停業後,計程車沒生意就跑去打零工,如今酒店終於復業,司機希望計程車生意能夠慢慢回復到以前的榮景。

梁爵 said...

2020.11.26酒店小姐「八大行業真相」酒店妹的上班技巧知名「酒店工作-台北酒店專業經紀人」靠著拍攝惡搞、酒店打工大尺度的影片,吸引破30萬粉絲訂閱,每回分享新片總讓人看了臉紅心跳。他近日再度PO出一支名為《男人只會蝌蚪衝腦?酒店上班酒店小姐的真心話!》影音,親自帶領觀眾探究【酒店小姐】【酒店公關】內心想法,讓不少網友大開眼界。影片可見,小哥哥艾理詢問多位酒店兼差酒店小姐,是否覺得男性都是用下半身思考?大多回應「至少6成」、「百分之八十有」,剩餘的男性自制能力較好,可以用大腦控制肉體的衝動,或是表現得較不明顯。其中一位小姐笑說,自己和男友就是在酒店相識,對方恰好由她接待,因而走在一塊。小哥哥艾理隨後詢問,那妳男友可以接受妳在酒店工作?小姐回答,「他可以,但我有被他嚴重警告過,『妳要做壞事可以,但是不要被我抓到。』」她也透露,可以接受男友偷吃,「只要不要被我抓到,但機率很低,因為我這個人酒醉會打給我男朋友,如果他不接的話,家裡櫃子全部會被我翻倒。」小哥哥艾理最後問,那女性是否也會用下半身思考?小姐回應「多少會,但(機率)不高」,其他工作者也大多回應「不太會」,坦言對床事較無感。其中一位小姐大方地說,除非真的想要才會撲上去,聲稱「沒有一次被拒絕過」,讓小哥哥艾理忍不住驚呼「很有信心哦!」