

People Skills for Web Workers - pmcpinto
http://alistapart.com/article/people-skills-for-web-workers

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asharpe
Some nice points for action and the basics of interoffice communication. The
article/blog misses a key item for 'web-workers' aka Developers where there is
often a breakdown/non-existence of the understanding of development, testing,
releasing especially around time costs. In my experience, it's the engagement
of both the developer/development team with the wider business around a deep
understanding of the solution and technologies involved.

Where I have experience conflict is when, for example, management/Product
owner thinks (often misguidedly) that changing a service/web page can be done
in an afternoon. However, this is not only the fault of the product owner. If
he/she is unwilling to understand the details of what is going on, yes there
will always be conflict. However, it is also the responsibility of the
developer/dev team to take the product owner on the journey. Share all the
details, show what is being done: taking the complex and making it simple.

In many cases, I have experience a dev team that wasn't willing to share the
details, the 'I know best' position. In a principal/agent relationship with a
short term delivery this is fine. In a long term relationship this engenders a
lack of trust on both sides and is likely to undo any of the methods mentioned
in the article.

