InfoQ Homepage Productivity Content on InfoQ
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Goal-Driven Kanban: Improving Performance and Motivating Teams
Goal-Driven Kanban enables teams to choose from and focus on challenging goals along the road. Teams are free to choose their pace and can take a break whenever necessary. They can set a voluntary deadline for the goal chosen together with proper time allocation. Naturally, while pursuing the goal, teams avoid distractions, celebrate achievements, and retrospect frequently.
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Better Metrics for Building High Performance Teams
There is no agreed way to build and measure high performing engineering teams, let alone to track the success of software engineers. This article explores ways to support individuals and teams right from onboarding and identifies useful metrics which can help make performance factors visible and actionable. Developer onboarding, dynamic documentation, and asynchronous communication are key.
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Measure Outcomes, Not Outputs: Software Development in Today’s Remote Work World
Today’s remote work world calls for a closer look at how to measure software developer productivity. Currently, there is no standard metric and widely used methods are flawed. The author describes how they successfully lead 500+ remote software developers by measuring outcomes, rather than outputs in order to produce the ideal balance between speed and quality code development.
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Lessons Learned from Self-Selection Reteaming at Redgate
Redgate Software runs a yearly deliberate reteaming process across engineering to alter how they invest the efforts of teams and encourage people to move towards the work they find most engaging. Self-selection reteaming is an effective and empowering method of aligning with company goals. It normalized the idea of people moving between teams for personal development and renewed sense of purpose.
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Promoting Creativity in Software Development with the Kaizen Method
As employers struggle to hire and retain qualified talent in high-tech, SenecaGlobal is using the Kaizen method of continuous improvements by implementing small, positive changes to its culture encouraging innovation and recognition among employees. When applied to software development, Kaizen aims to produce zero-defect code and/or work(flow) processes that exceed client satisfaction metrics.
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How to Enable Team Learning and Boost Performance
Team performance is dependent on safety, teamwork and ongoing learning. Clarity in roles, psychological safety, breaking bad habits and constantly learning are critical to enabling high performance.
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Paving the Road to Production
Coinbase has gotten much from its deploy pipelines. We deploy thousands of servers across hundreds of projects per day, to serve our millions of customers and their billions in assets. This article explores the journey Coinbase took to get where it is now, it describes their paved roads and how they've had to change over time in response to their company growing.
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How Workplace Culture Affects Workplace Performance
The culture of an organisation has a direct impact on the performance of the people in it. We have identified six drivers of culture in and provide advice on nurturing and improving them. The six drivers are: Perceived Value of People, Perceived Nature of Time, Safety and Security, Navigation by Grownups, The Bond of Collective Confidence, Perceived Value of Excellence and Beneficence.
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Becoming More Efficient and Productive in a Distracted World
This article highlights how increased distractions in agile teams can affect our mental health and cause burnout. It outlines how various productivity hacks can help to reduce this problem and make you highly efficient using real-life experiences. Finally, it discusses various steps the software industry can take to help preserve our mental health and reduce distractions.
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Culture & Methods Trends Report March 2021
The most significant impact on culture and methods in 2021 is the disruption caused by COVID-19. We look at what's needed for good remote and the impact of bad remote, how management practices are evolving, and the importance of people skills for technologists. Paying attention to ethical issues, diversity and inclusion, tech for good, employee experience and psychological safety are important.
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Q&A on the Book Dynamic Reteaming (2-ed)
In the 2nd edition of her book Dyanamic Reteaming, Heidi Helfand shows that having stable teams is generally unrealistic and that there are ways to effectively reform teams to achieve great outcomes. She explores different approaches to team formation and reformation and provides practical advice on how to create environments where team formation can adapt and evolve effectively.
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Well-Being with Dr O'Sullivan, Part 3: Tech-Ing Care of Your Community
Dr Michelle O’Sullivan, clinical psychologist, provides advice on interacting with your fellow workers, friends and family to provide support to their mental well-being in difficult times. She discusses connecting and listening skills, which are key to being an effective team member in any environment. Practical researched tips to help you think about yourself and others.