advice Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Duck Alignment Academy

2023-04-28

The solution isn’t interesting, the problem is

Nobody wants to use a computer. They want to get something done. Focusing on the problem instead of the solution gets you better results.

Posts

2023-04-12

Embrace the non-judgmental “why?”

People don’t make bad decisions on purpose. If you understand why a decision was made in the past, you make better decisions for the future.

Posts

2023-02-08

Write standard operating procedures

When you document how to execute a process, that ensures you’ll do it right the next time. This helps your future self and your successors.

Posts

2022-01-19

Spreading the work with infrequent contributors

Over on The Pragmatic Programmers, I wrote an article about spreading the work fairly when you have infrequent contributors. This is a common issue in open source projects that have people who work on them as their full-time job. Contributors are the lifeblood of an open source community. You want to attract and retain people so that the project is...

Posts

2022-01-07

How to Tell If You Are a Successful Program Manager

One of the questions I often ask when discussing a new plan is “how will we know if we’re successful?” The same question applies to your role as a program manager. I just published an article about how I evaluate myself over at the Pragmatic Programmers blog. Computers are difficult and people are difficult and when you put people together...

News

Tag: advice

The solution isn’t interesting, the problem is

Embrace the non-judgmental “why?”

Write standard operating procedures

Spreading the work with infrequent contributors

How to Tell If You Are a Successful Program Manager

2025 trends