Geek Leadership in Deep Legacy Michael “GeePaw” on Twitter

Constraint: “Legacy” The Code Is Old the big ball of mud from Brian Foote is there just entropy in all code? The Code is Testless definition from Mike Feathers we don’t know what it does The Code Isn't Ours even moderately well-written code… …is legacy if we don’t know its intent

Constraint: “Deep” Old, Even Ancient 3+ Years active development honey/molasses/underwater Massive Shipping Pressure planning theater nearly violent competition for resources We Don't Ship work begins on the emergency… …hot patch the next day.

Constraint: “Geek” Business Value how do we know the target? Thrown Agency how do we move under radical uncertainty? Geek Joy how do we bring our whole selves to bear? Three Strands of Excellence

Constraint: “Leadership” Leader != Boss people follow you (some) “change my team” won’t work Pillars of Coaching model: be the change situate: connect the team to their context release: set them free sort: apply “most important story” to self invite: charm them into trying it

Five Techniques One-Click Refactoring Pro Pair Rotating Blind Baby-Stepping Lottery Lunch & Learn Pressure Bottlenecking

Why These Five? Needed Concrete Simple Inclusive Permissable

One-Click Reading Learning To Refactor Without Deep Understanding

The Need We Need To Start Somewhere everything’s connected to everything… …there are no safe changes (in another domain: depression) Analysis-Paralysis the fear is overwhelming so we need ways to work around it

Mechanics Use Your IDE, But Restrict Your Motion actually practice this, it can be hard allow only one click out of your target file The Code In Front Of You *Is* The Code only need to know that called code … …has no side effects (another reason to hate globals)

Outcomes Permission To Move no side effects is much easier to prove focus refactoring towards it Support For Baby-Stepping larger refactorings emerge focus first on revealing the awful Team Builds Most Basic Skill 50 to 1 reading to writing contributes to sense of progress

Blind Baby Stepping Refactor In Small Steps Before We Know Where It Ends

The Need We Are Going There Right Now profluence – the sense of progress support – the sense of mutuality Closely Related To One-Click Need start somewhere, dodge paralysis play through the fear to the joy

Mechanics One Pure Refactor A Day what can you do in fifteen minutes make some days targeted Add Question At Standup “today I renamed variables in class X.” “i extracted three methods for X->Y.” “we now have an alternate constructor.”

Outcomes Creation Of A Long View took time getting in, takes time to get out meanwhile, stop digging make progress every single day Specific Targets Give Specific Progress practice sharing practice self-driving practice succeeding practice celebrating

Lottery Learning Help Your Team Lead Themselves To Excellence

The Need Effective Standards Needed not just rules or a house coding standard a genuine shared vision Skills Transfer style technique approaches solutions Geek Joy Transfer what better than spending time?

Mechanics A Gathering Of Code-Changers call in lunch, use *best* projector room only allow code-changers With No Prep Time, Choose A Winner name out of a hat or rig the game in the beginning Winner Chooses Any Code talk, argue, laugh, explain, help, consider defend, concede, laugh, blush, critique, laugh

Outcomes Massive Creation Of Energy energy to consider juice for change (random is important, here) The Incredible Ever-Rising Standard you simply won’t believe it they’ll make a standard they’ll improve it every meeting all you have to do is watch and play

Pro Pair Rotating WAIT!!! Just Wait! You Haven’t Heard Me Yet

The Need Skill Transfers Needed we have great goto geeks… …but they know “too much”… …and we need to break up their silos High Speed Needed but classes are too expensive… …documents are too outdated… …and surfing throws up more q’s than a’s

Mechanics Make Pairing Stations roughly one per-goto geek optimize them for real-world pairing Build Senior’s Pairing Skills no driving allowed, use talk & sketches remind and reward *teaching* goals Rotate Rapidly two two-hour sessions per day each with random other juniors

A Good Pairing Station

King Stays vs. Jack Stays When rotating, pairs split up, while the task is still a whole. Who stays on the task? King Stays senior geek keeps the task best when the silos are few and tall Jack Stays junior geek keeps the task best when seniors are “all round” skilled

Outcomes Fastest Possible Knowledge Transfer if seniors get their targets straight juniors will be inhaling skill Great Way To Learn Coaching got would-be coaches? “hand-sit pairing” is a fount of practice Validated Team Assessments learn exactly where juniors are discover FAQ’s and answer them

Pressure Bottlenecking Use Your Influence To Limit Work In Progress At The Source

The Need Alternatives To Death March collossal waste planning theater endless overtime mental and physical exhaustion Unanimous Grasp Of Priority & Limit everyone knows the problem… …but no one can quite face the solution

Mechanics Radically Limit Work In Progress pure pull system worry most about “rows per column” Create Strong Information Radiator kanban boards are potent *and* trendy use a whiteboard, not a computer Adopt Standups & Core Hours meeting discipline is urgent

A Kanban Radiator Rows Vs. Columns

Outcomes Pressure Will Drop this is not rational fortunately, neither are people Managers Will Get It especially grandbosses and up over time, you’ll be *required* to do it

Five Techniques Redux One-Click Refactoring Pro Pair Rotating Blind Baby-Stepping Lottery Lunch & Learn Pressure Bottlenecking