Is it normal if your junior developer doesn't know how to setup local Dev environment?

[Trader11]

And keep asking you how to do X and Y....

Junior has a CS degree....

 

[davidktw]

And keep asking you how to do X and Y....

Junior has a CS degree....

Common.
Getting the development environment up is not CS related. It is a SOP issue.

Question is do you have a startup guide to instruct your newbies how to get a development environment from scratch. If you don’t have a good set of instructions written, that is probably the issue.

 

[Trader11]

Common.
Getting the development environment up is not CS related, or is a SOP issue.

Question is do you have a startup guide to instruct your newbies how to get a development environment from scratch. If you don’t have a good set of instructions written, that is probably the issue.

We have a setup guide. Every new joined developer was able to complete the tasks without problem.

 

[davidktw]

We have a setup guide. Every new joined developer was able to complete the tasks without problem.

Then go talk with the noob what difficulty he/she is facing. It is still not a CS problem.

It is a CS competency related problem when they could not even complete my Quicksort challenge.

 

[Trader11]

Then go talk with the noob what difficulty he/she is facing. It is still not a CS problem.

It is a CS competency related problem when they could not even complete my Quicksort challenge.

Problem resolved....

Cannot assume that everyone knows Docker etc.

 

[davidktw]

Problem resolved....

Cannot assume that everyone knows Docker etc.

Well looks like you have solved a SOP problem.

 

[Trader11]

Well looks like you have solved a SOP problem.

Just worried the Junior Dev is not persistent person

 

[davidktw]

Just worried the Junior Dev is not persistent person

You will know sooner or later.

 

[Trader11]

You will know sooner or later.

Already know how bad it is. How to ask someone politely to quit? Can tell that the interview is not done properly by my other colleagues.

 

[davidktw]

Already know how bad it is. How to ask someone politely to quit? Can tell that the interview is not done properly by my other colleagues.

That is not how I would proceed. I will have a good conversation with the person and let him/her what is the expectation for this job and to understand the problem and see if it can be addressed. If still nothing change after awhile, then another talk will be putting the person back on probation or under review. Still nothing change and the person will be managed out.

 

[Trader11]

@davidktw How to deal with this junior guy? He took 1 month to implement a feature that I can do in 2 days.

 

[davidktw]

@davidktw How to deal with this junior guy? He took 1 month to implement a feature that I can do in 2 days.

It is not about what you can achieve, it is what was agreed upon during the spring planning and story points estimation. If the staff took X days to finish, is it within what was estimated. If it is delayed, what causes the delay ? Why is the delay not detected earlier and addressed if possible ?

 

[Trader11]

It is not about what you can achieve, it is what was agreed upon during the spring planning and story points estimation. If the staff took X days to finish, is it within what was estimated. If it is delayed, what causes the delay ? Why is the delay not detected earlier and addressed if possible ?

Sprint planning was cancelled for this month....My expectation was the junior developer will have initiative to complete the work in reasonable amount of time. Didn't expect the work to be delayed for weeks...

 

[davidktw]

Sprint planning was cancelled for this month....My expectation was the junior developer will have initiative to complete the work in reasonable amount of time. Didn't expect the work to be delayed for weeks...

What are you guys doing during standup meetings? Going through the motion with a blank mind? If you want to find faults, I think the problem is larger than one person.

 

[Trader11]

What are you guys doing during standup meetings? Going through the motion with a blank mind?

Explaining what you are doing....

 

[davidktw]

Explaining what you are doing....

And yet daily standup meetings did not allow anyone of you realise what difficulty and issues this junior is encountering before it even surpass 1 week which your expectations is 2 days?

I think your AGILE is losing its meaning. Is this not a larger problem than 1 person?

Back in my National Service days, this is the part where the whole lot knock it down. Not only the one person at fault. Because you guys are NOT working like a team, less alone an AGILE team.

 

[Trader11]

And yet daily standup meetings did not allow anyone of you realise what difficulty and issues this junior is encountering before it even surpass 1 week which your expectations is 2 days?

I think your AGILE is losing its meaning. Is this not a larger problem than 1 person?

Back in my National Service days, this is the part where the whole lot knock it down. Not only the one person at fault. Because you guys are NOT working like a team, less alone an AGILE team.

Not easy to coordinate to have a standup. My company hires developer around the world. Could be in Australia, India, China or Europe. The junior dev seems to be shy or too scared to admit that he needs help. Until today when I have a meeting and I discovered he have wrote so many redundant and complex code.

 

[davidktw]

Not easy to coordinate to have a standup. My company hires developer around the world. Could be in Australia, India, China or Europe.

That is an excuse. You are practising Agile. Practise it. Otherwise why even bother ? Easy don't need you to do.
Hard means what ? Try harder.

The junior dev seems to be shy or too scared to admit that he needs help. Until today when I have a meeting and I discovered he have wrote so many redundant and complex code.

It is the responsibility of the scrum master and also other team members to identify issues and to help each other out. The Scrum master have even more responsibility on hand to ensure the velocity is there and the impedance are identified, resolve, or floated up the chain. If the scrum master can't achieve it, then the scrum master simply drop the ball, not the junior staff. If you say your expectation is 2 days and yet after 1 week, you still didn't realise any issue and raise the red flag, need to wait until 1 month later, I think you are simply not observant and not alert.

Clearly you didn't expect me to point out what is the real problem right ? If you are looking for me to tell you the junior developer is at fault, you don't need me to point that out, you can simply assume that yourself. No, he/she is not at full fault. He/she is simply incompetent. That's a simple problem and contains simple solutions. The real problem is it requires 1 month to float up the issue. That is the harder problem here. It means the system has failed.

If you are looking for a honest assessment from me, that is what I see. So the ball is on your court, do you agree ?

 

[Trader11]

That is an excuse. You are practising Agile. Practise it. Otherwise why even bother ? Easy don't need you to do.
Hard means what ? Try harder.


It is the responsibility of the scrum master and also other team members to identify issues and to help each other out. The Scrum master have even more responsibility on hand to ensure the velocity is there and the impedance are identified, resolve, or floated up the chain. If the scrum master can't achieve it, then the scrum master simply drop the ball, not the junior staff. If you say your expectation is 2 days and yet after 1 week, you still didn't realise any issue and raise the red flag, need to wait until 1 month later, I think you are simply not observant and not alert.

Clearly you didn't expect me to point out what is the real problem right ? If you are looking for me to tell you the junior developer is at fault. If so, you don't need me to point that out, you can simply assume that yourself. No, he/she is not at full fault. He/she is simply incompetent. That's a simple problem and contains simple solutions. The real problem is it requires 1 month to float up the issue. That is the harder problem here. It means the system has failed.

Yes no excuse....I am trying to see what I can do....the reality is that the team is downsized and many senior developers are overworked. Junior Dev joined at the wrong time when senior Dev are struggling to avoid being retrenched next

 

[davidktw]

Yes no excuse....I am trying to see what I can do....the reality is that the team is downsized and many senior developers are overworked. Junior Dev joined at the wrong time when senior Dev are struggling to avoid being retrenched next

Okay good you see the problem. So lets get the shxt together. Since you observe there is a lack of interaction and issues are not promptly identified and resolve. Set up a proper meeting to put out your expectations. Understand what exact problems they are facing and see if something can be arrange. Put in SOP to make everyone accountable. Traceability, Accountability and Responsibility are what we need to reinforce. I know it is simple to say, but is there any other ways you see will otherwise work ? Sometimes ploughing through the mud is what it takes to see the light on the other end.

If lack of resources is an issue, put up to your management, don't keep quiet. Make them be aware and make their pay worth. Otherwise the responsibility will fall on you solely and yet you are powerless over it.