The team: the center of the software universe

But most programs aren't done by single individuums. In the industry, we have to learn to be team players. Without the ability to work as a member of a team, we won't archieve much.

Fortunately, nature made us this way. The evolution of higher beings began when groups of animals started to work together. The advantages of this are obvious. We start our lives as members of a family. No one of us would survive without the help of adults.

In sport, a good team of football players will beat any group of individual fighters, no matter how good they are. In the software business, a group of people working together will archieve better results than any high talented individuum.

What we need to know is how to build good teams. With a highly motivated team management is a trivial job: it consists merely of creating an atmosphere where it is fun to work and to remove obstacles that will get in the way.

Motivating a team consists of putting the people into a position where they can do what they are able to do and what they like to do (which sometimes isn't the same but will overlap). It is frustrating to do work that you can't cope with but it is especially bad if you feel that you are not being stretched.

The managers task will be the removal of distractions that will get into the way. This alone can be a full-time job in large companies, but even in small companies this is demanding. If you are a team leader (project manager) and you don't devote most of your time in removing obstacles something is going wrong.

Another topic is to make a good team grow - not in size, but in ability. Every team should invest some time in extended vocational training. This way your team will be able to handle more and more complex tasks.

One thing that you should understand is: a team leader is not a member of the team. If you are afraid of this you have not the ability to lead a team. One of the major reasons good teams are torn apart is that the team leader can't handle this.

If you have a good team it is a major task to keep the team intact.
 

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