Comments on: Specialization is for Insects http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/ Creating better software Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:27:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Eli Lopian http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/comment-page-1/#comment-36720 Eli Lopian Fri, 08 May 2009 11:35:30 +0000 http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/#comment-36720 Raoul, This is a good point. Raoul,
This is a good point.

]]> By: Raoul Duke http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/comment-page-1/#comment-36669 Raoul Duke Thu, 07 May 2009 21:53:20 +0000 http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/#comment-36669 reality is that motivation is important. a Dev who doesn't want to do QA is not a good Dev to have, but you have to ask why they don't want to do QA and think if there are good lessons to learn and things to fix as a result. e.g.: don't hire people who aren't very passionate about the whole system you are creating. reality is that motivation is important. a Dev who doesn’t want to do QA is not a good Dev to have, but you have to ask why they don’t want to do QA and think if there are good lessons to learn and things to fix as a result.

e.g.: don’t hire people who aren’t very passionate about the whole system you are creating.

]]> By: Eli Lopian http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/comment-page-1/#comment-36631 Eli Lopian Thu, 07 May 2009 06:34:18 +0000 http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/#comment-36631 I tend to disagree, I think that we as humans *can* excel and to be an expect *must* be able to learn and understand all parts of the system. A coder that understand SQL is by far better then a coder that don't. I also believe that the silos and specific source/subject experts appear *mostly* because we are scared to leave our comfort zone. People like to do the things that they are good at. The experts comport zone is that he is known as the expert, it give a sense of job security. The person who need the expert, is scared to make a mistake and to take responsibility, so instead of trying, he asked the expert. It is a system that leads to mediocrity as both sides are comfortable. For a GREAT team, mediocrity is a killer! Everyone is comfortable in their specialized zone and no one grows. The thing about mediocrity is that you will wake up one day and not be needed. There will be many people who know what you know or it will be a silo that is no longer needed Don't focus on breaking the silos, focus on being great, on learning and expanding and the silos will disappear. I tend to disagree, I think that we as humans *can* excel and to be an expect *must* be able to learn and understand all parts of the system. A coder that understand SQL is by far better then a coder that don’t.

I also believe that the silos and specific source/subject experts appear *mostly* because we are scared to leave our comfort zone. People like to do the things that they are good at. The experts comport zone is that he is known as the expert, it give a sense of job security. The person who need the expert, is scared to make a mistake and to take responsibility, so instead of trying, he asked the expert. It is a system that leads to mediocrity as both sides are comfortable.
For a GREAT team, mediocrity is a killer!
Everyone is comfortable in their specialized zone and no one grows. The thing about mediocrity is that you will wake up one day and not be needed. There will be many people who know what you know or it will be a silo that is no longer needed

Don’t focus on breaking the silos, focus on being great, on learning and expanding and the silos will disappear.

]]> By: Travis Illig http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/comment-page-1/#comment-36586 Travis Illig Wed, 06 May 2009 18:14:30 +0000 http://www.elilopian.com/2009/05/06/specialization-is-for-insects/#comment-36586 I think there's sort of a balance that needs to be struck between specialization and generalization. It's definitely a good goal to be able to work on any aspect of a given system. Too much specialization requires, as you mention, perfect synchronization. At the same time, no specialization at all is where the phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none" came from. I might be able to do a little of everything, but there's not enough time in the world to be really good at all of them. There's too much to know, particularly with technology moving at the rate it does. I blogged a bit about this a couple of years back when my company tried to reorganize things to "break down the knowledge silos." Two years later, we continue to try to ensure people can understand and generally work on all parts of the system, but we still have subject matter experts and specialists in areas. On a sufficiently large system, I don't think that's escapable. http://www.paraesthesia.com/archive/2007/06/12/there-will-always-be-subject-matter-experts.aspx I think there’s sort of a balance that needs to be struck between specialization and generalization. It’s definitely a good goal to be able to work on any aspect of a given system. Too much specialization requires, as you mention, perfect synchronization.

At the same time, no specialization at all is where the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” came from. I might be able to do a little of everything, but there’s not enough time in the world to be really good at all of them. There’s too much to know, particularly with technology moving at the rate it does.

I blogged a bit about this a couple of years back when my company tried to reorganize things to “break down the knowledge silos.” Two years later, we continue to try to ensure people can understand and generally work on all parts of the system, but we still have subject matter experts and specialists in areas. On a sufficiently large system, I don’t think that’s escapable.

http://www.paraesthesia.com/archive/2007/06/12/there-will-always-be-subject-matter-experts.aspx

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