Ah, it’s Friday, the end of the working week! It’s always fun coming up to a Friday as it means a great opportunity to take my fiancee Jenna out on a date and not have to worry about going home in time to get up the next morning.
Tonight, DWS is having a social party. It’s to celebrate the recent coming together of DWS and SDM. For those of you who don’t know, DWS is the company I work for (http://www.dws.com.au).
Anyway, if you know me, you know that everyday events make me think of software industry topics; quality, good design, concepts, etc. Fridays are no exception.
Most Fridays, I tend to take it easy. It’s casual day at DWS and many other places too. I’ve been working hard all week, trying to get things done and now is a time for me to sit back and relax as I finish off all the things I’ve been doing throughout the week. Many times, however, the tiredness I have felt through the week affects the effort I can put in to things. Although I’m tired, it doesn’t have to affect the quality of my work.
Being aware that I’m tired allows me to take things slower, add more checks, and follow a personal process more rigorously. That way, I ensure that my work remains at a very high level. It’s often handy to look at other things around the office and in our lives that add to our stress levels. For instance, if traffic is pretty bad, you’re likely not in the right frame of mind when you first walk in the door, etc.
It’s often helpful to remember these kinds of things too when in groups. Everyone experiences the world differently and may end up not being at their best. Often, these can be reasonably predicted: it’s Monday morning, it’s Friday afternoon, the company just had a big launch of a product the night before, or someone simply says they’re not at their best. This is when our software engineering processes are most useful.
Consider what your software engineering processes are, not only at a corporate level but also at a personal level. Remember, don’t stress yourself with mindless process just for the sake of having process but make sure it works and adds significant value.
If you already have processes in place, either corporately or personally, take the time today to see if they’re working for you. Things to think about are:
- Is the process more work than its worth?
- Is it flexible enough for my work life?
- Can I do this a better way?
- Could more learning replace this process?
- Are there other areas that I could focus on?
- Has the work I’ve been doing changed since these processes were invented?
- Am I or are we, taking in to account all those times we’re not at our best such as the tired Friday afternoons of our week?
Kind Regards
Glenn
