My Developer Manifesto

I was inspired by the Rugged Software Development Manifesto and decided to make my own Manifesto or “public declaration of policy and aims” as defined in the dictionary.

I will

• Work with integrity and honesty
• Share as quickly as I can when issues arise (estimates are off, things going wrong, other concerns)
• Share my ideas and opinions with boldness but humility, recognizing that there is much I don’t know and others are intelligent
• Seek feedback, accept it and know that working together improves the system and outcomes
• Work for the company global business goals and ask why
  • Remember that I’m working to solve problems and challenges, not just to write code
  • Productivity does not mean just sitting at a keyboard writing code
• Enable others to be productive anywhere I can
  • Do code reviews for others
  • Consider more than my assigned work
  • Mentor and train others
  • Identify constraints, propose experiments to overcome the constraint
• Work towards breaking down communication barriers between teams
• Seek to make data driven decisions and rapidly incorporate user feedback
• Work in small batch sizes and limit Work In Progress (WIP)
• Since I know I can’t think of everything and remember everything
  • I will write tests for what needs to be tests
  • Work in smaller pieces with TDD when it makes sense
  • Document what needs to be document and strive for an up-to-date representation of the system
• Never stop learning
• Use the right tools for the job for the right rules
• Consider maintainability
• Consider security (Shift left)
• Push for continuous improvement
• Share learnings and strive a generative/learning culture
• Lead by example, follow with humility

Strive to put my family and people before my desires and career

The Bible’s wisdom

The Bible has many verses on humility that provide the framework for a lot of these points. I’ve also observed many of my co-workers, church leaders and parents that have modeled the importance of respect and humility.

I’ve been studying James lately, here are some relevant quotes.

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person hbe quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” James 1:19

“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” James 2:12

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are yat war within you?” James 4:1

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”” James 4:6

ESV James

I was also impressed by the Sql Lite Code of Conduct and [James Sinclair)[https://jrsinclair.com/articles/2013/notes-to-self-on-working-as-a-christian-web-developer/).