Engineering Leader, Google Chrome. Best-selling Author. Speaker. AI, DX, UX. I want to see you win.
Effectiveness is important for software engineers because it allows us to focus on what matters most. Here are 10 key traits for what I believe helps engineers be effective: 1. Care about the user and their needs 2. Be a great problem solver 3. Keep things simple, while caring about quality 4. Communicate effectively with your team 5. Build trust, autonomy, and social capital 6. Understand team strategy 7. Prioritize appropriately and execute independently 8. Think long term (e.g. implications of decisions) 9. Leave software projects better than you found them 10. Be comfortable taking on new challenges In my new write-up for LeadDev (https://lnkd.in/g3-Dsa7v), I expand on my perspective on what makes for effective engineers, based on my time at Google. Often this is delivering the best value to users, the business, and ultimately our careers with the time we have available. If we’re focused on activities that are considered most effective, we can also demonstrate our value to the team and increase the chances of promotions and other career opportunities. As a software engineer, you should care about your users and what they want. You should be able to understand the goals of your company and how your work will impact them. This is because you are ultimately responsible for building software that solves problems that customers would pay to have solved. If you’re not thinking about how people will use the product or service, then it’s likely that what’s getting built won’t actually be useful. While this may sound obvious, it can be hard for many developers to grasp. Often we see developers get caught up in the details of writing code, without fully considering why they’re doing so in the first place. This can lead them astray from their actual goals, as well as drifting from their best work by focusing on small tasks, instead of making sure they’re contributing towards larger strategic outcomes. Feel free to check-out my article for more on this topic https://lnkd.in/g3-Dsa7v #softwareengineering #programming #effectiveness
Very useful. Thank you!
There is a load of wisdom you are sharing here Addy Osmani. 😃 Too often we loose the ‘why’ and rush to produce as much code as possible until the deadline. This might be the best I’ve read in a month! 🤩
This is gold!
Effective software engineering isn't just about being able to write code - it's about having the right mindset and working smart. These 10 key traits are essential for software engineers to focus on the most important tasks, create effective solutions, and build software that will continue to stand the test of time. Great share, Addy!
When can one say there is no more room for improvement in a project? I think it is unrealistic to think one can constantly improve a software forever. If so, when and how is this decision taken? How do we recognize it? Much appreciated.
This it's great!
This is the way 👆
Manufacturing Manager at Datum Technologies Inc.
2yLeave everything better than you found it, have you seen the article on how the Japan team left the locker room after the World cup