One thing I’ve seen is that some companies use the number of bug-fixes as team KPI. Some member would intentionally create bugs and fix them afterwards. Since they created the bugs in the first place, they could fix them in no time. It became the worst KPI in the company.
I’ve worked at places before that put too much emphasis on how many commits and PRs you make. No thank you. There’s a lot more to being a SWE than just code.
Rafa, such a great article. Thanks for your insight on this. I agree with you that hero culture can really sink a team. And like you said, software engineering is a team sport. To change it, it’ll take leaders like you talking about it more. And highlighting the importance of strong collaboration and doing the unseen things.
I can totally relate to the hero culture and how it can erode your team’s morale. Heroics are okay once in a while but should never become a part of the culture, or promoted by management.
I totally agree with you. They're needed sometimes, but if we, as leaders, keep rewarding such behavior, and not others, we'll end destroying our team's morale and the great collaborative culture.
Thanks for sharing!
One thing I’ve seen is that some companies use the number of bug-fixes as team KPI. Some member would intentionally create bugs and fix them afterwards. Since they created the bugs in the first place, they could fix them in no time. It became the worst KPI in the company.
Wow, that would be highly toxic! But resonates perfectly with the idea shared.
I’ve worked at places before that put too much emphasis on how many commits and PRs you make. No thank you. There’s a lot more to being a SWE than just code.
Gaming the metrics system. That's the issue with vanity metrics!
Rafa, such a great article. Thanks for your insight on this. I agree with you that hero culture can really sink a team. And like you said, software engineering is a team sport. To change it, it’ll take leaders like you talking about it more. And highlighting the importance of strong collaboration and doing the unseen things.
I fully agree with you, David. As leaders, we play an important role to ensure the right first-team culture is in place. Thanks for your comment!
I can totally relate to the hero culture and how it can erode your team’s morale. Heroics are okay once in a while but should never become a part of the culture, or promoted by management.
I totally agree with you. They're needed sometimes, but if we, as leaders, keep rewarding such behavior, and not others, we'll end destroying our team's morale and the great collaborative culture.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Gaurav!