My Portal Project

In the process of reading about technology job recruiting, I came across alot of writing about what keeps good programmers from leaving their jobs. While doing all this reading I came to the realization that I do not need a “programmer”, I needed an “Application Developer”, and alot of attributes that some ascribe to the “best programmers”, are attributes that I do not think make a very good “Application Developer”. What I really need are “Results Oriented Developers”, and here is a list of qualities that make them so (at least in my mind).

What makes a “Results Oriented Developer” ( in no particular order):

1. They work with customers directly, not through a project manager. If the developer cannot see and hear the customers pain, then they are too insulated.
2. They understand that the code they write today could be crap six months from now when the specifications change drastically.
3. They do not need to work in a crypt of silence. They exist, if not thrive, on the chaos that is the real workplace.
4. They favor completion of a project and customer satisfaction over code style.
5. They use the tools they have to do the job. They do not use the tools they have as an excuse. (you do not need Photoshop 8 to design a website, and you do not need 2GB of RAM to run MS Office)
6. They find humor (and job security) in last minute spec changes.
7. They do not cop a condescending tone if a coworker does not use some obscure object naming convention.
8. They are comfortable working in 2-3 development environments, and/or projects, every day.
9. They are self-managing to the extent that if a customer calls with a small change, the developer can balance the need for customer service, and meeting deadlines.
10. They understand the humor behind me having a red stapler on my desk.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 2:04 pm and is filed under Web Development, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.