People and Teams

People and Teams

People and Teams Stories
Two goats butting heads Is It Really ‘Us vs. Them’?Teams often view executives as being "against" them and making decisions that are clueless at best or nefarious at worst. Usually, neither is the case, but there's no way of knowing true motivations if there's no discussion. Teams and directors need to repair their communication rift. This is a tale of two perspectives.
Software designers, developers and other team members collaborating The Real Value of Cross-Functional Agile TeamsAgile teams know that cross-functional collaboration is central to the methodology, but there are often barriers to fully embracing this idea. If teams are used to handoffs, it may seem like it makes sense to maintain the status quo. Try collaborating on something small to realize the true value of cross-functional teams.
Computer screen showing emergency alert about the coronavirus Lessons the Software Community Must Take from the PandemicDue to COVID-19, organizations of all types have had to implement continuity plans within an unreasonably short amount of time. These live experiments in agility have shaken up our industry, but it's also taught us a lot of invaluable lessons about digital transformation, cybersecurity, performance engineering, and more.
Light-up sign reading "Time for change" Helping People Respond to ChangeWhy do people respond differently to change? There are lots of possible reasons, and the degree to which people embrace or reject change also varies greatly. But if your company is going through a change and some employees interpret it as significant, it doesn't matter what you think of it—you have to help them deal.
Silhouette of team members jumping up to cheer Build Better Teams by Finding Hidden TalentsWe’re not all created equal, and it’s counterproductive to act like that’s the case on a team. Every individual has their own unique set of strengths, and knowing what everyone’s strengths are contributes to the team’s success. When you're putting a team together, you first have to discover each person’s strong suits.
Green plastic army soldier figures Building a DevOps ArmyAs you scale DevOps, you need more team members who understand the fundamentals. You could bring in external folks, but they're expensive and in short supply, so start building your DevOps army now by training existing employees. Here's what testers, developers, and IT operations professionals each need to know.
Woman putting her head down on her laptop in frustration How to Decide whether to Quit Your JobSome people are happy with their jobs and know they want to keep them. Others are clear that they want to quit. What's difficult is when the decision to quit or stay is a tough one. The important thing in making that choice is to be sure you’ve examined the issue as objectively as you can from different viewpoints.
Hacker typing on a backlit computer keyboard Cybersecurity Consciousness during COVID-19As we all deal with COVID-19 across the globe—medically, economically, and professionally—there are plenty of lessons to discover. There is also a lot to learn when it comes to cybersecurity. More people moving toward working from home means more opportunities for hackers to strike, so we must be smart and vigilant.