teams
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Do Software Teams Need Managers with Technical Expertise?Soft skills matter in how effective a manager is, but what about technical skills? If you're a software engineer, how important is it to you for your manager to have the same background and to fully understand your job? Ideally they would, but in some cases, that role can be better filled by a technical lead. | 
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An Agile Mindset: Learning Early, Not Failing FastAgile encourages teams to continuously improve through learning. One of the phrases associated with this process is "failing fast"—trying new things and taking lessons from mistakes as you go. But Johanna Rothman thinks "learning early" is a better phrase. That change in terminology can give you a happier mindset. | 
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The Value of Experimentation in Testing With new concepts, platforms, methodologies, and devices being introduced at a rapid rate, it’s critical to both initiate and establish a culture of experimentation within your testing team. You need to experiment and take risks in order to keep pace and hopefully surpass the competition. |
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3 Common Collaboration Problems for Teams Transitioning to AgileA shift toward working in smaller teams on tighter releases forces organizations adopting agile to rethink what successful delivery looks like. It can be a big change for those used to silos. Here are three key symptoms of agile teams that don’t have close collaboration—and some solutions you can implement to fix them. | 
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Don’t Abolish Hierarchies—Change ThemHierarchies often get a bad rap, and that’s understandable. Bad hierarchies can increase bureaucracy and get in the way of getting work done. But when done correctly, good hierarchies can streamline processes and provide organizations with some much-needed structure. You just need to rethink how hierarchies can work. |
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What to Do if You’re Promoted over Your CoworkersGetting promoted is great, but when it means you'll have to manage your former coworkers, it can get awkward. It would be ideal if you could maintain the friendly, gossipy, tell-all relationship you’ve had with your ex-peers, but as a practical matter, you can’t. Here's how to handle the transition best for everyone. | 
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The Difference between Directing and LeadingBeing a leader of a software team comes with a lot of responsibility. You may be used to people looking to you for direction. But directing doesn't let your team truly use the skills and talents they were hired for. A good leader knows that sometimes, the best strategy is to step aside and let the team shine. | 
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Finding a Home for Specialists on Cross-Functional Agile TeamsIt may seem like the best team would be composed of all specialists, but due to their proficiency in only one area, they can actually hold up an agile workflow. You can keep specialists on your cross-functional teams; you just need to structure their work. Here are four options for making good use of a specialist. |
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