Finding Your Strengths — Group Reflection
Continued from this post.
In my final blog post in this series, I want to explore conversations related to exploring 6th Sense Analytics data with an eye towards developing your Personal Improvement Plan. Here we'll look at contrasting your personal data against group data:
Group Analysis
Virtually every suggestion I made in the last post can be extended towards comparison with your teams' and community data. Everything should be focused towards seeing how you stack up against the group in a constructive way. Look for strength areas that you can leverage to increase your contributions, project impact and overall visibility within your teams.
Remember that the data can also serve to support your performance in personnel reviews. You can use it to drive powerful discussion within your leadership team regarding your project contributions and capabilities.
Beyond the analysis points in the last post, there are some unique perspectives you can gain from analyzing broader data. You can extend your vision beyond that of an individual contributor by taking interest in more broad issues across your projects. This broader influence can often be rewarding and add significant value to your projects.
Realize that your value isn't solely tied to your direct contributions. You can also make a big impact by showing your awareness of the big picture. There are several ways to do this. One is by analyzing Project Active Time by Activity from a group perspective. Look for trends that indicate how the overall project is performing or how the team is supporting the schedule.
For example, you can view group Active Time velocity and map it against the project schedule. If you see some trends that are of concern, bring them to the attention of your boss or the project manager. The same analysis can be made from a methodology perspective. For example, look for code construction or testing activity percentages to align with your specific SDLC. If you find the work not aligned with your process, raise a flag for analysis and a readjust.
Compare your performance data against the team. Look for areas where you clearly are ahead of the team norms, for example, in breadth of technology used, or tools capabilities, or simply delivering quality work. Look across the team for those who are struggling in your strength areas and try to mentor them towards improvement.
Believe me, this sort of unselfish mentoring will get noticed--within the team and by leadership. The more you can engage the team in overall improvement and strengthening the stronger you will develop solid leadership skills.
- Another area to make a difference is by analyzing how the overall team is performing within the project from a Flow Time perspective. 6th Sense Analytics data can be immensely helpful in providing insights into the internal dynamics of your team. Look for areas of improvement and serve as a catalyst for changes to improve productivity and efficiency.
Remember that increasing your value and skill isn't solely a technical pursuit. In My Job Went to India, Chad Fowler makes a fairly compelling case that many programming skills are becoming quite commoditized by the global economy. In order for us to grow and thrive, we need to reframe ourselves in different directions. Of course while also leveraging our natural strengths.
Taking a broader view to software development projects from a methodology and leadership perspective is another way to shift your value proposition. Consider this when you're crafting your Personal Improvement Plan.
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Finding Your Strengths: Personal Reflection
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6th Sense Analytics Hosts Industry Roundtable On Globally Distributed Software Development
