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7 Things Development Managers Know in 2017

Here is a list of 7 things you need to know, in order to be a manager of software developers, within any significant modern company. See how many you already know.
  1. Beauty = Value
  2. Functionality = Quality
  3. Quantity = Usefulness
  4. Physical Labor = Knowledge
  5. Genetic Makeup = Technical Literacy
  6. Hype = Skill
  7. Results = Magic

Details:

  1. Beauty = Value
    • Technical competence is not necessary to judge software quality
    • Always attribute inherent value to software with a cosmetically appealing presentation
    • Applying hype makes software more valuable
    • If hype is present, so is the associated value
  2. Functionality = Quality
    • If it seems to work how it should, then it really does
    • People who have been doing it longer must be better at it
  3. Quantity = Usefulness
    • Usefulness can be measured by quantity of output
    • The more people working on software development, the faster it will get done
  4. Physical Labor = Knowledge
    • Expect workers to create a comprehensive, accurate, detailed plan before beginning any work
    • Expect workers to estimate the amount of time it will take, and with some degree of accuracy
  5. Genetic Makeup = Technical Literacy
    • Non-technical people cannot possibly become technically competent
    • Technical competence isn't necessarily beneficial for everybody
    • Workers do not deserve rewards to be based on their level of technical competence
    • It is not worthwhile for a non-technical stakeholder to try to acquire any level of accurate understanding in a technical subject
  6. Hype = Skill
    • Non-technical people are perfectly qualified to judge the value of a technical worker's experience
    • People who interview well are technically competent
    • Formal education is an indicator
  7. Results = Magic
    • Technical competence is not a necessity, before you can mandate implementation details

And now, for 4 bonus points:

  1. Activity = Progress
  2. Complexity = Security
  3. Policies = Enforcement
  4. Fiat = Fact
If you knew most of these things before reading this article, then congratulations! You are probably a manager of software developers or an executive at a significant company. If you knew all of them, you are probably a middle manager. If you didn't know any of these things, you are probably the opposite: you yourself are probably merely a software developer.

If you have somehow managed software developers without knowing these things, you are probably an exception. Be sure to leave a comment and explain how you did it.

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to indicate any specific individuals or companies. Any apparent similarities are strictly a coincidence.
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