Moving Up the Developer Value Chain

The following attributes distinguish developers who operate from high up the value chain:

• Awareness of other parts of the value chain
• Ability to perceive distinct software concerns
• Interest in incorporating proven techniques
• Keenness to use the latest ideas
• Forward thinking (for instance, intelligent logging)
• Good coding practices

What are the defining attributes of the programmer who is low on the value chain?

• Unaware of the needs of others in the value chain
• Always in a hurry - will fearlessly modify cross-cutting concern code
• Little or no interest in new ideas or best practices
• Keen to hand over ownership of code to an unlucky recipient

Following are some steps that developers can try in order to move up the chain:

• Learn about the other parts of the value chain, and in the wider company
• Think in an abstract way and understand the cross-cutting concerns
• Read about programming, open source, patterns, etc.
• Use labor-saving techniques such as design patterns
• Give short presentations on important and relevant open source projects
• Heed the needs of people in other parts of the value chain
• Specialize in some important area of expertise

How to specialise:

• Choose a complex and well established domain e.g. part of the financial services industry
• Choose an area that has a decent shelf life, in excess of five years
• Combine business knowledge with technical knowledge

Moving C++ and Java Programmers Up the Value Chain