If Putin Ran A Software Development Business

Or a tech business in which software development was a core capability – much like military forces are a core capability for any nation, including Russia.

If Putin ran a business where software development was a core capability, he’d:

• Ask for estimates and rail against his project managers and middle-managers when those estimates proved unreliable.
• Wonder why new features were stuck in a long queue of undelivered features.
• Not notice that developers were so demoralised that they were just going through the motions, not caring a hoot about requirements or deliverables or even customers’ need.
• Ask regularly and bitterly “why can’t they (developers) just do as they’re told?”.
• Have little clue about the state of his tools and hardware, the skills – or lack of them – of his developers.
• Apply huge resources to bludgeon through problems and delays, only to find that doesn’t work.
• Discount the importance of morale and motivation in his employees.
• Be secretly embarrassed about the quality and accuracy of his employees’ work.
• Not understand the importance of learning, skills development, training and senior staff.
• Underestimate the difficulties inherent in all software development endeavours.
• Blame competitors and market conditions for his people’s failures.
• Belatedly hire external contractors in the naïve and forlorn hope that they might accelerate progress.

Maybe you know of some other CEOs that make the same choices?

Yayy for Ukraine!

– Bob

Further Reading

Marshall, R. W. (2013). Product Aikido. [online] Available at: /wp-content/uploads/2013/04/productaikido041016.pdf