The team

Last time, I talked about getting rid of the irreplaceable team members. In this edition, I want to talk about what makes a successful software development team. Naturally, it is the people. Software development is not engineering; it is invention. A successful software team will have much more in common with a team of genetic engineers than a team of hardware engineers. You might hire a mediocre line worker, but would you hire a mediocre genetic scientist? One who had few publications? As a software company, your success, like that of the bioengineering startup, depends on the calibur of your people. To be successful, you have to have two things: 1) Top quality individuals 2) A great training program. Without both of these you are confined to mediocrity - at best.

BTW, take a look at software craftmanship. It has some real benefits and completely debunks the myth of software engineering. The main question I have is what about larger systems, can this scale?