This 1️⃣ Tip Improves Your Teamwork as a Programmer
Programming is a team sport. I know our individual skill is super important but it is our teamwork that really gets things done.
We solve problems that deliver value to customers.
It’s that simple.
Whether you’re in an Agile team at a tech behemoth or in a consultancy working with Guhan you aren’t cut off in a developer silo.
Unless you’re a single programmer on a team. Then you might be a little isolated. Called a loser by the normies.
To get work done you’re going to require the respect and cooperation of programmer colleagues. You need to sharpen up your teamwork skills.
There is one golden tip which will make your life easier. Easier in:
Coding
CI
Business problems
Customer relationships
With ONE tip? What is it, because I’m IN!
That ONE tip
Code Review: Read each of your colleagues’ PR that are raised for review and be first with comments and approvals.
Here’s why it’s important:
Being aware of changes in your codebase
Someone else’s work today becomes your work tomorrow. Also, it gives you something to speak to about with your colleagues.
People love it when you are interested in their work.
I know you’re not interested in people. Just pretend, OK?
Understanding what is going in in the business
You’ll see everything that goes on within the business (at least from the coding side). When something has unexpected side effects that touch your code you’ll be right there, with some background knowledge.
Your fixes will come faster!
Being responsive
It’s nice when you get a response from people quickly. That helps us work together and get fast solutions. That would be great, wouldn’t it?
This brings us onto:
The power of reciprocity
When you check PR code from your colleagues, they are likely to also check yours. They will check your code quickly and efficiently meaning that you can get your work done.
Get your work done quickly.
You must want that.
So why aren’t programmers doing it?
It’s so simple
It’s so easy
It’s so obvious
But programmers simply aren’t doing it
WHY
Lack of proactiveness
Programmers might be introverts on the whole. However, this does not mean that they should not be proactive. However, some conflate the two. This means that as some disengage from their teams, they lose the will to go that little bit further and get their work done to the next level.
The result is that they can’t really be bothered. They don’t get work done that is outside their immediate to-do pile. They don’t check others’ work.
What a shame
Favor your own focus
Programmers need to battle with their own attention span. A break in their work can mean a long time out of the loop of solving the tasks that they have been set.
The solution? I’ll only give 5 minutes every day for code review.
I mean, I understand why but you don’t have an issue with going to the toilet every 15 minutes?
It’s all that coffee.
Conclusion
Just do it OK. Just help out your colleagues and get your work done quickly and efficiently.
Taking initiative is never a bad thing. If you show interest in your colleague's work and become responsive to requests you might unlock the cheat code for relationships.
When people like you, they tend to help you out.
That is something worth its weight in gold.