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> No. We should be part of the development department.
> And not just on paper, but in practice.
Most times it's not hard to get to this point either.
Or maybe I'm just lucky...
> {Note though - and some on this list might find this
> unsettling - If you
> want to consider your TWs as peer developers, you
> *might* need different TWs. )
Truth hurts, eh? ;) I'm with you on that point.
> Do developers charge each other for every
> conversation they have with each
> other? No? why not? Maybe because they consider
> themselves part of a team?
Right. Billing departments for time wasted asking
questions is asinine. Hire capable people who know
how, when, and why to ask questions and what questions
to ask, and who know how to take the answer and run
with it.
I make it a point NEVER to go to a developer unless
I'm stuck, and not until I've exhausted my options.
Why? Because they're busy too. And yeah, distractions
count. Ever get distracted in mid-sentence? Sucks,
huh? Try getting distracted in the middle of a 1000
line mess of spaghetti code you inherited from a
recently laid-off developer. It could take HOURS to
regain your place in the code and in both logic,
focus, and mindset.
> A lot of junior developers are brought on board with
> a hell of a lot less
> experience than some of us TWs have. What happens
> when these newbie
> developers have questions? When a new developer
> wants to know how the
> application works, how do they tell him? Do they
> give him full access to the
> source code? Then they should give the TW full
> access to the source code.
Actually, though I like your argument, it's not
entirely valid. I know many companies who keep many
new developers out of the entire code base and have
them plug away locally on one component at a time.
It's kind of a rite of initiation, sort of. They prove
they won't screw anything up, then they get full
access. They may get read access to everything, but
full access comes with time and proven ability, from
what I've seen.
> And... Don't assume the SMEs are always developers.
> When I'm doing something
> new I spend most of my time with *business* SMEs,
> not developer SMEs. I
> usually figure out most of the developer stuff on my
> own. And if there is
> some techie stuff I need to ask about, I expect an
> answer and not a bill.
Nice closing!
=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)
"As soon as you hear the phrase "studies show",
immediately put a hand on your wallet and cover your groin."
-- Geoff Hart
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