Motivating a Software Development Team

Here are some tips on motivating software development teams

Not exactly like the image above, but more realistic motivation for knowledge based people, especially developers. Being a lead for many years I found these tips very useful so I though I would share them, and to be honest they are mostly just common sense stuff.

1. Build Trust
Be with the team build trust just like a coach who motivates a team for a game, keep them motivated before and during and after the game, even for the next game. Keep them engaged have food/lunch with them (there is something about breaking bread together), bring them pizza during crunch time.

2. Realistic goals and targets
Get the input and agreement with the team, for work the team has to do, don’t just assign the work to the team/person and mark it (2 week project) when the team/person who is involved in doing the job does not even know about the work/task that needs to be done. Have them involved during the scoping of the project since they will have insights to the project or code base that as a lead or manager did not think about.

3. Measure performance
Are we on track or off track, how do we measure (Agile, Scrum/Kanban board, Story Board), what resources my team members need to get back on track. Maybe there needs help in some area expertise, support and tools

4. Celebrate success and incentives
Even for small milestones, not just at the end, rewarding the team all together not just the super man hero attitude. A Starbucks or TimHorton card for everyone goes a long way, also buy nick knacks for a reward. Let people know that they are awesome for what they do.

5. Know your team
Is the person a detail oriented person, are they right for the job that you have assign them Find out if they are introvert or extrovert, what are their idiosyncrasy, being aware of where they are on the project, be mindful treat people with respect. During a marathon, runners get water at certain spots, being the manager you need to be the person who is handing out the water and cheering for them, so that your team is motivated and hydrated to keep them running, same goes for software development.

6. Meet regularly
Have small/daily meetings with the team to find out if there are any road blocks and additional resources that is required. Have monthly meetings with individuals one-on-one to talk to about: future projects, how as a manager you can improve (reviews goes both ways), a form of retrospective on things that one can do well, get inputs from individuals sometimes people may not like to speak in a crowd, having 1-1 input is great for even performance review, take notes, rather than leaving it for end of year one should do it every month.

7. Its not about you, its about the team and give them a purpose
Its about the team now, as a manager you need to know what motivates your team. Is it money? Is it work life balance? comfortable environment? working remotely? Every one is different and is motivated differently, find out what makes the developer “ticks” and unlock the potential of the developer. Allow them to create a purpose to what they are building find ways to show values of what they do and not something nonsense that they are building.

8. Share work with Autonomy
There is something called the “bus factor” for a reason. If developer A is the only person who knows the database code and no one else does, what happens if tomorrow s/he gets hit by the bus? Utilize your team to know all the skills of the system, have people work on a project together to motivate each other, be confident in their ability, let them have the autonomy of making decisions on modules.

9. Be positive
No one wants to work for a negative workplace/person. Show your excitement on the business or project you are completing. Being positive is infectious, it will lift the spirit of others and grows like a snowball.