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Conductor, Coach, Commander

There is a difference between Information Technology (IT) and established industries in terms of maturity in operations. Producing IT outputs is still treated as a knowledge-intensive activity, while in other industries the production is labor-intensive. IT is slowly moving from knowledge-intensive to labor-intensive, and innovations such as software factory model are trying to replicate the best practices of labor-intensive operations in IT projects and operations. However, not all areas in IT are ready to adapt the best practices of labor-intensive industries. One such area is project management.

There is a general perception among software engineers, at least among the people I know, that project managers are usually disconnected from technology. This perception then implies a casual disrespect towards the project managers who are supposed to lead the project team. A common trend is to have a technical lead to lead the team in techncial affairs and the project manager "restricts" himself or herself to balancing the project variables and ensuring the process compliance. In a knowledge-intensive industry that's a dangerous practice.

There is a difference between leading a team where individual talent is more important than training. Research and arts are two examples where talent is more important than training. Modern manufacturing and military are two examples where training is important. A good manager, in my opinion, should be able to balance himself or herself between the extremes. He or she is then like a conductor, a coach and a commander, under different situations.

A conductor knows his work - the music - thoroughly. He may not have written it, but knows every detail of it. He can sense the composition, it's expression, nuances, consistency and occasional mistakes. The musicians in an orchestra are individually talented and trained, and the conductor guides them to produce something that cannot be individually attained.

A coach knows his team. He is able to relate individually with the members of the team and build them into the roles that they must perform. He knows the skills, form and temperament of his players and is able to place them on or off the field.

A commander knows his enemy; a corporate "commander" knows his customer. In a sense the enemy is a customer for the commander - he delivers them missiles and bullets!. He is able to strategize the operation and instructs his officers to carry out the mission. Once they are in a mission, they are bound to it.

These leaders command respect through their knowledge, interactions and strategies. When team members are somewhere between researchers and laborers, artists and soldiers it is important for the leaders - or managers - to have a little bits of conductors, coaches and commanders in them.

Architecture

Years ago, I architected a house. Being a Civil Engineer by qualification architecture is something that I was always fascinated with. Today I architect software, at least that's what they say I do.

Architecture is one of the most misused terms in today's software industry. There is an architect for everything - one for user interface, one for data, one for solution and one for the entire system. Then there are numerous technical architects who do all kinds of job - from design to coding. Then there are those obscure ones - lead architect, consultant architect, principal architect and so on.

In 1987 John Zachman complained that the words "information systems architecture" were losing the meaning. He then looks at classical architecture and draws an analogy in his famous paper A Framework for Information Systems Architecture. Through the introduction he describes the term architecture as some logical construct, and some kind of structure. Probably, that's what we really want through the process or architecture - a logical construct, a structure to the system. Zachman then goes on to explain how architect lays out the drawings in different perspectives. And that's it - that's what an architect does.

An architect is someone who sees things and concepts in its final state - buildings, bridges, automobiles, hardware, software, process, enterprise and so on. He is able to visualize the solution and translate that into drawings; drawings from different perspectives. In classical architecture those drawings are usually elevations, plans, and sections. Three perspectives, those define the building completely. Then there can be details of all these. Everything else is design - structural design, interior design, landscape design and so on.

Architect defines the construct of the concept in an integral manner. Designers adapt different perspectives of it and design. Builders use the design to build different pieces. And it all comes together to something that the architect envisioned, before it even existed.

"Most people," Roark says, "build as they live — as a matter of routine and senseless accident. But a few understand that building is a great symbol. We live in our minds, and existence is the attempt to bring that life into physical reality, to state it in gesture and form."

Investing in Time

Time is money. It's much more than that. Money if not invested shrinks over a period of time. Time vanishes.

Like money, time is another resource which is limited and cannot be accumulated. Investment typically converts a resource into another form, which can be preserved, accumulated and grown - look at how money is invested. In the same way time can be invested by converting it into something that can be preserved.

To me investing time is to best utilize time to build up knowledge, skills, relationships etc. Now the economy is down. There is little money to invest, and there is a lot of uncertainty too. But strangely when the economy is down I see people having a lot of time - without many projects at work and not engaging in many activities outside. This time can be invested into something that builds up, that can be grown later, which can be converted into money. And yes! Time is money (and much more than that).

An Introspection

Here is Google's Marissa Mayer, how she went on building her team. "I like to hire people who have two traits. They’re smart, and they get things done."

That comes from Joel Spolsky's The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing. Today I just asked myself again - am I getting things done smartly?

As Late As Possible

The early bird gets the worm! Common wisdom suggests to get things done as early as possible. Everyday I see people - tuned to this wisdom - rushing on the road, into the elevators, around the vending machines, fretting and fidgeting about the seconds lost. I used to have a manager who was obsessed about every minute in the schedule which ultimately caused huge reworks and led to exhaustion of the team in all sense.

As late as possible is not a new strategy. It is well-known, documented, implemented and practised. However, many of us do not see it as an option because we are not taught to delay work. We all know procrastination is the thief of time!

There are times when delaying is the best course of action. It could be during a negotiation, dealing with uncertainties, or even when booking a flight ticket! This may seem adventurous, but with careful judgement of circumstances, acting as late as possible will be eventually beneficial.

So, next time before you step into a crowded elevator, before booking that off-season flight ticket, before ramping up the team when you think requirements are not clear, consider the strategy - As Late As Possible.