Thursday, June 21, 2012

What is a good developer?

What is a good developer? The following two rules of thumb are what I hold true:

  1. Good developers are found by speaking to others who you know are good and who they recommend.
  2. You don't truly know how someone is until you have worked with them for 3 to 6 months.

I have interviewed hundreds of developers in the past and found that many people will ace the interview and speak very well. But then when they start working they will start to have a difficult time applying what they have said to actually getting work done. Then when speaking with them on progress and work they will have excuses, etc. Often a good developer will be a lousy interviewee. In which a good developer will speak poorly or have a difficult time responding to questions.

Also many people will have their ups and downs at work as they have personal events taking place outside of work. Some weeks developers will get a lot done, and then other weeks they will be slow. It isn't until you have worked with someone for months that you can then get an overall assessment of their work performance.

I have worked with numerous developers from China, India, Israel, Russia, Great Britain, France, and USA. I have found that each cultural group has their own way of getting things done and communicating. To be a good developer require just two important aspects:

  1. Communication
  2. Getting Work Done
Each work team will have its own personal dynamics for how work is being delegated and completed. Some people will work well in certain environments and others will work poorly in other environments.



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