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Journals by EmailA developer I work with on a small project pointed out that compared to other places he’s worked, developers in our organization are a lot more willing to help each other. His prior experience has been with people who want to be left alone and get their own work done.
We all want that to some degree, but when working in teams, a certain amount of interaction needs to happen.
This developer pointed out that where we work, there is a lot of “shoulder tapping,” and the response to it is generally good. In one project I work on, the dev lead has emphasized pairing in the past, and right now there are small teams working on pieces of functionality, and they generally include two developers. The QA lead has started having his team check each other’s work as well.
This attitude helps the project turn out better. Members of a team each have expertise and talents that will contribute to the whole, but if they never collaborate and ask for help, the project is going to show it. And you’re probably going to get a bigger pile of bugs in the bargain.
All of this helps me do what I need to do. Some technical writers—perhaps many—work with developers who won’t give them the time of day. But in a place where most people are willing to answer questions, I feel less guilty about interrupting their development activities.
Just today I had to ask a developer about a feature he had worked on and wasn’t working for me in the test environment. He was perfectly happy to talk to me, and he even had a reasonable explanation for my problem. Later, I had to ask an interaction designer a CSS question, and I apologized for interrupting him. He didn’t consider it a bother.
Part of the key to this positive team interaction is being considerate, making sure you’re not imposing, and expressing appreciation. I actually was talking to that same designer once, and a guy I didn’t know walked up and said, “I’m going to interrupt.” He started a conversation with the designer without even acknowledging my presence (other than the fact that he was admittedly interrupting something).
Of course, that put me off a bit, but I patiently waited for their short conversation to end. Normally, people are pretty tactful about coming to others for help.
I’m the kind of guy who can’t stand the thought that I’m bothering an associate or am disliked. I know there’s probably no such thing as a person who is liked by everyone, but I do myself a favor if I avoid being a nuisance and alienating people with bad manners. If coworkers see me as easygoing and adaptable, they’re not afraid to let me know they’re busy, and when I back off, they’re more willing to talk to me later.
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