Help your software team succeed in 2014
When you're building software as a team, it's easy to get in a rut. Stuff happens, and it affects your team's momentum: long tiring projects, going off track, making mistakes, bad hires, interpersonal conflicts... they all take their toll.
But 2014 is a new year. The new year is the perfect time to renew your team's energy, and tackle new challenges.
Here's a framework for helping your software team succeed in the new year.
== Who is your audience, and what do they need? ==
It's time to go back to basics: who are your customers?
In the midst of building your product, you might have forgotten about who you're trying to serve with all this software you're building.
Take the beginning of January and work with your team on developing a clear vision of who the customer is, and what they need. Have each team member personally reach out to a customer. Get a feel for who they are, what they do, and what they need help with.
You're not just developing software: you're helping real people solve real problems.
== What are you building, and why does it matter? ==
Now, take a look at your product. What have you been building? Does it match up with what your customers need?
Maybe that feature you were hammering on in 2013 just doesn't matter - it's OK to stop working on it. In fact, to succeed, your team is going to need to focus on what does matter.
Where's the gap between what you currently provide, and the pain that your users have?
== Focus on one thing at a time ==
Trying to solve multiple pain points all at once will spread you too thin. Pick the biggest pain point and focus on just that until it's shipped. Coming up with ideas for new features gives you a temporary high: it's invigorating to think about other projects you could work on. But the key to success is seeing one project through before starting on another.
== Remove distractions ==
In order to really focus your team, you should attempt to remove other distractions as well.
Sit in your office, and observe peoples' workflow. What breaks the concentration of individual team members?
Maybe it's when the phone rings. Or maybe it's a loud conversation by the water cooler. Loud elevator? A stressful interaction with a client?
Take note of the things that keep people from getting their best work done, and try to minimize those things.
== Reduce cognitive load ==
You've observed what environmental distractions affect your team, but there's one more factor you need to consider. Each of your team's members have internal distractions as well.
People have variations of stress for plenty of different reasons, that we can't always see. You can't fix all of it, but there might be areas where you can help.
Zappos does a great job at this. Read their list of benefits: http://about.zappos.com/jobs/why-work-zappos/our-benefits. Imagine if you were worrying about infertility in your personal life: that might be on your mind all the time. Well, Zappos provides up to $6,000 annually in adoption and infertility benefits.
Benefits are just one way you can help reduce your team members' cognitive load, and help them increase productivity.
== Plan a calendar ==
If you haven't already, make it a goal to schedule the following things in your company's calendar:
- Quarterly product reviews: are you on the right track? Are you helping customers with real needs?
- Quarterly team reviews: go out for lunch as a team every 3 months. Ask the question: how are we working as a team? What could we improve?
- Quarterly meetings with each individual: again, book into your calendar one-on-one meetings with each person on your team. This is a time for you to provide them with feedback, and for them to do the same.
- Quarterly fun: plan something fun. Ideally, something every 3 months is ideal. This could be as simple as taking the afternoon off to go see a movie, or planning a weekend ski trip.
== January is a great month to figure this stuff out ==
It's ok to take the month of January to go through the process:
- Ask "who is your audience, and what do they need?"
- Ask "what are you building, and why does it matter?"
- Pick the biggest pain point and make that your first focus for 2014
- Observe your work environment, and remove distractions
- Think about how you could reduce individuals' stress
- Plan a calendar