Software developers tend to be very productive employees. Can you teach your non-programming team to work the same way?
Have you ever watched your software developers work? They are incredibly focused and capable of getting more work done than a large portion of their team. Why is that? Were they just born that way? Some of them, yes. For the most part, though, this kind of productivity is more a part of the job than the DNA.
One thing to consider is that programming is a very challenging job. Those you hire to do this understand the weight of the position. After all, your business often depends on them. If they are unable to produce high-quality applications or fix issues in the software that runs their various pipelines and workflows, their bottom line will immediately suffer.
Staff who do not program are not well trained to constantly meet these levels of demand and pressure. And you shouldn't think of it as a call to tackle them with tight deadlines and inhumane tasks.
But there are ways to help your team start thinking like programmers. When done right, not only will you enjoy a more productive workforce, but those employees will be able to work more efficiently and effectively without having to furlough them.
How is this possible? Let's dive in and find out.
Employ Kanban
One of the most beneficial things you can do (that will pay off more and almost faster) is to use Kanban boards for all of your employees. Kanban should not be considered just a tool for developers, but a tool for any department that needs help organizing a wide variety of tasks. Kanban makes organizing and executing these tasks much easier to manage.
And thanks to well-designed software, you can make Kanban work for virtually any department. Best of all, Kanban boards can be very cheap (if not free) to use and easy to use.
Train to detect patterns
Patterns exist in everything. You will find patterns in nature, behavior and even workflow. One thing almost every software engineer knows is to always be on the lookout for patterns. Why? Because they tell a very important story.
An employee may exhibit a specific pattern, which is beneficial or not. The ability to not only recognize these patterns but also detect whether they are helpful or detrimental to productivity can make a big difference in the efficiency of your employees. It's important that you not only instill this behavior in your team, but also help them recognize patterns in their own work so they don't feel like they're being micromanaged from every angle.
Think, think, think
Programmers never stop thinking. They do not get complacent with their thought process, which means they are always able to work at a high level. Other employees may not work at this same level of always being “on” intellectually, which means they tend to “go through” the day with their thoughts straying from the task at hand.
You must help your team understand that while they are “at work,” they must be mentally engaged in the process. Does this mean that these team members must constantly be on intellectual high gear from 9am to 5pm? No. But it does mean that they must be able to stay focused on the task at hand while working on it.
Make it work, do it right, do it fast
Software engineer Kent Beck once said, “Make it work, make it right, make it fast.” This quote is much loved by the development community because it makes for a very logical work progression.
This quote can be applied to just about anything. As? The objective of “Make it work, get it right and do it fast” is simple: understand the problem and find solutions. So, instead of adding extraneous questions to a task, your employees should focus on these two things: the problem and the solution. Once they can retrain their thought process to function with a simplistic, laser-like focus, they will be able to overcome so much more.
Never hesitate to ask for help
You might think that programmers confine themselves in silos created by their own ego. That's not the truth. Software developers never hesitate to ask for help, and their non-programming staff should learn to do the same.
Sometimes a problem arises and the solution perplexes those working to solve it. Instead of banging your head against the wall, the default behavior should be to reach out. This level of collaboration will make work much easier and more efficient.
The problem will be overcoming the idea that asking for help is a sign of weakness. It is not. On the contrary, it is a sign of efficient work. You want your team to work smarter, not harder.
Remember, Garbage in/Garbage out
Finally, there is a saying in computer science that goes “Garbage in, garbage out.” What this means is simple: if you input faulty data, the output you receive will also be faulty. Another way to look at it is the old carpenter saying, “Measure twice, cut once.”
Your non-programming team needs to understand this concept. If employees take the time to ensure what they are inputting is correct, the results should be predictable. If, on the other hand, they don't take the time to check the data they enter into a system, this will lead to incorrect conclusions that could point to human or software errors. Train your team to always err on the side of correct information to avoid such a problematic feedback loop.
Conclusion
So you see, it's not that difficult to train your non-programmer employees to think like programmers. Once you achieve this, you will see an increase in productivity, a decrease in errors, and a dramatic increase in your team's overall morale. Again, you want your team to work smarter, not harder. Help them understand this as you implement these changes.
