Reflections on Software Engineering

It’s easy to convince a group of people to follow you when you’ve got a great idea that you’re passionate about. Passion is like a highly communicable virus, easily spreading from one host to another. Something funny happens, though once enough people are on board with an idea: new ideas become less infectious over time as if the group has built up antibodies against risk. It’s always unfortunate to see this happen since most organizations are initially brought together by an idea that was so risky and so contagious that everyone wanted to be a part of it. Eventually, if an organization is not careful, it becomes a place where Big Ideas go to die, a sort of idea graveyard.

Kathy Sierra explains it best:

Any time a new idea is brought to the table, especially a Big Idea, the group acts like white blood cells, attacking the Big Idea as if it were a foreign invader, reducing the idea to a benign and much less exciting version of itself. The end result is something that no one can really get all that excited about. It may get the job done but it certainly doesn’t inspire anyone.

It’s really difficult to fight off this group tendency. It’s much, much easier to say no to something than yes, especially when there’s an established status quo. Once a group (company, club, team, non-profit, whatever) feels safe, group risk aversion magnifies problems into insurmountable barriers. Kathy Sierra (boy, do I miss her blog!) talked about this too, avoiding risks leads to the safest route, but the safest route, ultimately will only yield incremental improvements:

In most cases, the barriers preventing new Big Ideas from being achieved are no bigger than the barriers overcome by the group when it formed. The main difference is that there’re more people to get over the wall now than when it was just you and your Big Idea which brought the group together.

As a group it’s important to fight risk aversion which is often reinforced by groupthink. It’s a difficult job, but if growth and innovation are goals, taking risks is an essential part of success. Figuring out how to work with Big Ideas rather than fight against them (and in turn deal with risk as an organization) makes it easier to jump the wall as a group when and if the time comes. Delegating is a great way to build practice taking risks If you’re able to trust someone else to do something that you could reasonably do yourself you’re on your way to letting others run with their Big Ideas.

As an individual with a Big Idea, it’s important to quickly figure out whether your idea is something that has legs or whether it’s something better left to the back burner. Seth Godin’s The Dip has some simple advice but ultimately it’s up to you to determine. If you yourself are not prepared to pull each and every group member of the group over the wall that is blocking you from realizing your ultimate vision then it may not be time to unveil your idea to the group.

Both the group and the innovator have a part in killing a Big Idea or making it fly. Recognizing that you have to work together is the first step toward achieving greater success.

Building a great software product is only half the battle. The relationship the user builds with your software has the single greatest influence on how awesome that software is. Sorry. It’s not the language the software is written in. It’s not the algorithms. It’s not all the processes you used behind the scenes to create it. If the relationship sucks, your software sucks. Period.

To prove this I’m going to use a tangentially-related personal experience that has absolutely nothing to do with software. In this case, it’s ok, because realistically, this bit of reflection actually has nothing to do with software – remember it’s about relationships. Let’s talk about two concerts I’ve seen this summer.

Coldplay: “You’re Awesome!”

I’ve heard Coldplay’s radio hits but I was never really a huge fan of the band. Had it not been for a friend’s invitation I would never have gone to this concert and I would have missed out on one of the best live shows I’ve seen. Acceptable radio hits became handcrafted masterpieces, more amazing live than on FM. The most interesting part of the show, and the thing that left the greatest impression on me, was the band’s absolute humble devotion toward the fans in attendance. At one point the band walked out to mini-stages set up in the seated area under the pavilion and way out in the lawn, giving all fans an equal chance to be a part of the show, not just the diehards that purchased overpriced tickets.

Coldplay’s attitude created a completely positive vibe that made me want to enjoy myself.  After they had exhausted themselves for close to two hours, doing everything possible to create a positive experience for the audience, Coldplay thanked us, not for coming to see them, but for allowing them to play for us, “You’re awesome, thank you for letting us play for you tonight!”

Dave Matthews Band – “We’re Awesome!”

I didn’t realize that Dave Matthews Band live shows are really just one long meandering jam session.  Every one of the band members is an amazing musician, but 14+ minute songs start to wear after a while.  Dave Matthews rarely spoke (when he did it was incomprehensible) and most of the band wore sunglasses throughout the entire show. Overall, it was a very mediocre concert that was better suited to an afternoon picnic setting than an evening at a large outdoor amphitheatre.  From a technical perspective it was amazing but overall it failed to entertain me.

The most interesting thing about this concert was the crowd. In spite of the fact that the band seemed to be playing solely for their own amusement, the audience was full of absolute fanatics, complete with their own dress code – plaid shorts and tie dyed shirts (though rarely together) with sandals – and a shared emotional connection to every song the band played. Dave Matthews Band is here to play music – If you like it, whatever, if you don’t, whatever.  “We had a fun time tonight and I hope you did too!”

It’s all About the Relationship

It turns out that the relationship the bands built with the audience during the show was directly related to how much I enjoyed it. It should be pretty obvious how this extends to software.  The relationship your software builds with your users will determine how much they enjoy using it. Is your software helping users be amazing or does your software expect users to change their behaviors to use it? Are you building something for yourself that others might happen to like or are you targeting a specific audience?

Software that is technically the best will always fall short to similar software that builds a relationship. Kathy Seirra expressed a similar sentiment with her Dating Rules for Software. But there’s a small catch to Kathy’s rules as exhibited by the Dave Matthews Band. Apple tends to act this way too. Sometimes if you do your own thing and you actually are great, you can afford not to focus on the relationship. It’s extremely difficult but sometimes it works. Sacrificing the relationship creates a razor thin margin for error but when you get it right, you’ll breed fanatics that will love you (almost) unconditionally and critics who will absolutely hate you – there is no mediocrity.

Sacrifice the relationship and you could be the best, but only until someone almost as good comes along who thinks about others before themselves.  I think Microsoft has learned that lesson the hard way.  No matter what you do, relationships rule the day.