Team Geek

Team Geek

A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others

by Ben Collins-Sussman, Brian W. Fitzpatrick

194 pages· 2012· ISBN 9781449329877

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About
In a perfect world, software engineers who produce the best code are the most successful. But in our perfectly messy world, success also depends on how you work with people to get your job done. In this highly entertaining book, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman cover basic patterns and anti-patterns for working with other people, teams, and users while trying to develop software. This is valuable information from two respected software engineers whose popular series of talks—including "Working with Poisonous People"—has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. Writing software is a team sport, and human factors have as much influence on the outcome as technical factors. Even if you’ve spent decades learning the technical side of programming, this book teaches you about the often-overlooked human component. By learning to collaborate and investing in the "soft skills" of software engineering, you can have a much greater impact for the same amount of effort. Team Geek was named as a Finalist in the 2013 Jolt Awards from Dr. Dobb's Journal. The publication's panel of judges chose five notable books, published during a 12-month period ending June 30, that every serious programmer should read.

Discussion questions for Team Geek

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  1. 1

    How does the book’s premise—that software engineering is a team sport—challenge the traditional stereotype of the isolated, solo programmer?

  2. 2

    In your own career or personal projects, have you ever encountered a brilliant technical contributor who acted as a "poisonous person," and how did the team handle the impact on morale?

  3. 3

    The authors emphasize the importance of "soft skills" and collaboration. Which of the collaboration patterns resonated most with your own workplace experiences?

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