Building A Strong Engineering Culture - my talk from BBC Develop 2013
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This is the keynote talk I gave at the BBC Develop conference in London, UK in November of 2013. In it I talk about what I believe makes a strong engineering culture, how to protect it if you have it, and how to fix it if you don't. I use a lot of examples from Spotify (where I am a Director of Engineering). As usual, I go a bit light on the bullets, since I prefer to talk, but I think you can still get the gist of my points.
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Building A Strong Engineering Culture - my talk from BBC Develop 2013
- 1. Building a strong engineering culture Kevin Goldsmith Director of Engineering November 14, 2013
- 2. Hej!
- 4. What is culture? Edgar Schein (MIT) A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group has learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. 4
- 5. What is culture? Edgar Schein (MIT) A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group has learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. 5
- 6. What is culture? Elaine Wherry (Meebo) Culture = Artifacts + systems and values + truth 6
- 7. What is culture? Henrik Kniberg (Agile guru) Culture is the stuff people do without noticing it 7
- 8. What is culture? Me Culture is the manifestation of the shared values of the organization as represented by the actions of its members 8
- 9. 9 What is culture? Values Culture Processes Ar,facts Rituals Beliefs
- 10. 10 Spotify’s Values photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 11. 11 Spotify’s Values Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 12. What is culture? What culture is not Free food Slides in your office Photos with Daleks Concierge Services Rock-climbing Walls 12
- 13. 13 What is culture? Values Culture Processes Ar,facts Rituals Beliefs
- 14. What is culture? What culture is not Agile/Lean 14
- 15. You have a culture What is it?
- 21. What is culture? You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with Jim Rohn 21
- 22. Why is culture important?
- 23. 23 Why is culture important? If vision is where you are going, culture is what makes sure you can get there. photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 24. Why is culture important? 24 Apply the same level of deep thinking about building a culture as you would about building a product Tim O'Reilly
- 25. Why is culture important A good culture isn’t the same thing as a good business though Still need a vision, a product and customers 25
- 26. 26 What is Culture Culture enables success, but it does not cause success. Patty McCord
- 27. What makes a good engineering culture?
- 28. 28 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done
- 30. 30 Stuff gets done Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 31. 31 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well
- 32. It gets done well 32
- 33. It gets done well 33
- 34. 34 It Gets Done Well Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 35. 35 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well People are happy
- 37. 37 People are happy Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 38. 38 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well People are happy Leaders provide direction and guidance
- 39. 39 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well People are happy Leaders provide direction and guidance and GET OUT OF THE WAY
- 40. What makes an engineering culture great? 40
- 41. 41 Leaders provide direction and guidance and get out of the way Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 42. 42 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well People are happy Leaders provide direction and guidance and GET OUT OF THE WAY Success is celebrated
- 44. 44 What makes a good engineering culture? Stuff gets done It gets done well People are happy Leaders provide direction and guidance and GET OUT OF THE WAY Success is celebrated Failure is used as a way to learn
- 45. Failure is used as a way to learn 45
- 46. Failure is used as a way to learn 46
- 47. 47 Spotify’s Values Learn from failure Innovation at every level Continuous improvement Shared Responsibility Iterative development Agile-first Data-driven Autonomous Teams Transparency Trust Servant Leadership photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 49. 49 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk
- 50. Walk the talk Culture is the manifestation of the shared values of the organization as represented by the actions of its members 50
- 51. 51 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial
- 53. 53 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial
- 54. A lot of people say don’t fire great engineers – but they’re wrong. Even if you have an engineer who is exceptional, but an asshole, you should fire them immediately. Your team will thank you for it afterwards. It only takes one asshole to destroy an entire team, so act quickly and remove any bad seeds no matter how good they are at writing software. Joe Stump
- 55. 55 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your values photo credit: © Leigh Ann Shaffner, used with permission
- 56. 56 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your values
- 57. 57 Protecting your culture Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your values
- 58. Protecting your culture 58 Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your values Measure against your values
- 59. Protecting your culture 59 Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your values Measure against your values Your organization reflects your values Credit: Henrik Kniberg
- 60. Protecting your culture 60 Protecting your culture Walk the talk Hiring is crucial Firing is also crucial Communicate your culture Measure against your values Your organization reflects your culture Watch out for warning signs
- 62. 62 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 63. 63 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care “Bored people quit.” – Michael Lopp “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 64. 64 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care Disenfranchised people quit. “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 65. 65 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care Disengaged people quit. “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 66. 66 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 67. 67 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving You spend time on the wrong things instead of building your product “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 68. 68 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving You spend time on the wrong things instead of building your product dealing with “situations” “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 69. 69 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving You spend time on the wrong things instead of building your product Focusing on your internal customers instead of your actual customers “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 70. 70 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving You spend time on the wrong things instead of building your product Managing up “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 71. 71 Fixing a broken culture How do you know if the culture is broken? People don’t care (Good) People are leaving You spend time on the wrong things instead of building your product Dealing with process “Broken Dreams” by Brandon Satterwhite is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- 72. Fixing a broken culture “It’s not you, it’s me” 72
- 73. Fixing a broken culture “It’s not you, it’s me” Sometimes, it is you. 73
- 74. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it 74
- 75. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it Start with yourself 75
- 76. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it Start with yourself Then your team 76
- 77. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it Start with yourself Then your team Build on successes 77
- 78. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it Start with yourself Then your team Build on successes Recruit others 78
- 79. Fixing a broken culture Fixing it Start with yourself Then your team Build on successes Recruit others Grow bottom up 79
- 80. Conclusion
- 81. 81 You have a culture Whether you think you do or not
- 82. 82 Work on your culture It will determine how things get (or don’t get) done
- 83. 83 If you have a good culture, protect it Make sure everyone understands what you value as a team. Make sure everyone you hire will be happy in your culture.
- 84. 84 If you have a bad culture, transform it A long process, start small and grow. Don’t try to rush it.
- 85. 85 You are the culture The culture is the intersection (average) of the values of the people in it. Want to improve your culture? LIVE THE VALUES
- 86. Tack!