How often do you meet with your staff? Do you--as the IT manager, director, VP, or supervisor--meet with your staff regularly? One-on-one and group meetings can be productive and good for morale. Often, developers get in a slump; they feel isolated, and they're not sure if what they're doing is what the end user really needs or wants. So they may end up simply going through the motions of development, making changes that may or may not prove beneficial to the company or the originator of the requirement. Often too, managers declare that they have open communications or an open dialogue, but they don't actually implement such practices. This is often more dangerous than not having any communications at all because it allows managers to pretend to be communicating when in fact they are not, and that can alienate the staff.
There is a renewed sense of community emerging in the OS/400 market. And thanks to the Internet, more dialogue is going on now inter-company than ever before, which is wonderful for developers. They are easily able to communicate with peers to facilitate learning and to feel they are part of group. But the intra-company--or should I say intra-shop--dialogue needs some work. For example, how many developers at your organization get this free newsletter delivered to their inbox? Do you know? Both developers and managers should. There are literally dozens of free or nearly free resources available to both managers and developers, and by holding periodic one-on-one or group meetings, you can communicate the availability of these types of resources. It is up to you, the IT manager, to initiate and proactively participate in this kind of open communications.
By staying in touch with your developers, you and your staff will find out what's going on in development--not only in your own shop but also in the industry. So step back, take a breath, and start talking with your staff on a regular basis. You'll be glad you did.
Bob Cozzi is a programmer/consultant, writer/author, and software developer. His popular RPG xTools add-on subprocedure library for RPG IV is fast becoming a standard with RPG developers. His book The Modern RPG Language has been the most widely used RPG programming book for more than a decade. He, along with others, speaks at and produces the highly popular RPG World conference for RPG programmers.
MC Press books written by Robert Cozzi available now on the MC Press Bookstore.
 |
||
 |
|
RPG TnT Get this jam-packed resource of quick, easy-to-implement RPG tips! List Price $65.00 Now On Sale
|
|
||
 |
|
The Modern RPG IV Language Cozzi on everything RPG! What more could you want? List Price $99.95
Now On Sale
|
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online