What if software developers wore cleats and shin guards?
What in the world could I possibly mean by this?
In this piece, I am making a connection and comparison to the practices and dedication that is inherent in how athletes and sports teams tend to operate. Mainly, I’m leaning toward a comparison to youth sports, but I think it fits across all sports and ages.
Soccer (or american football) teams practice 2 to 3 or more times per week, for at minimum 1 hour per practice, often after school and even early on weekend mornings if there aren’t games scheduled.
They gather as a team and do drills, exercise, work on fundamentals of the game. They practice their skills individually and as a team in a game setting through scrimmages.
I could really dive deep into how each player’s position has certain duties, and the team arranges themselves on the field in different patterns to carry out strategies and plays. They play offense and defense, simultaneously. I’ll leave the comparisons to the business world, and particularly to software development teams up to your imagination.
So, what if software developers sat down alone or together 3 times per week to actually have practice? In many cases they do to some extent, but there’s something quite different from say, a youth soccer team. Ever hear a web developer or QA engineer say, “oh I have practice from 5:30 to 7 tonight after work?”
Replace the sports equipment references with the tools and things a developer uses and may prepare before practice, and Imagine them saying, “I need to wash my practice jersey, find my other cleat, get my shin guards on, my ball, the practice cones, water bottle, snacks for my teammates and get to practice! We have a big game on saturday, it’s a tournament!”
Software folks are always learning and practicing new technologies. They do ‘practice’, a lot, but what if they practiced in ways more similar to that of a sports team? What would 1 hour 3 times a week of practice look like? And when exactly then is game time? What would be considered a developer’s cleats that help them keep their balance and grip the turf of the field? What may be considered their shin guards? What comparisons could be made to dribbling the ball, passing the ball, taking a shot at the goal, the goal being blocked by the goalie, or a point scored for the team? What may be considered a flag on play?
Somewhere in this idea is the concept that there should be real set practice time and game time in software engineering. You practice, strategize, thinking of the game ahead. Then come game day, you execute and strive to win.
Ever watched a younger kids soccer match, like in the 5-7 year old age range? It’s the most entertaining sports spectacle ever. It’s like a swarm of bees all crowded around the ball aimlessly kicking and flailing about. It’s glorious! Is that what your software team looks like? Or, have you had practice and enough experience to know your position, teammates, the field, the opponent, the mere rules of the game?
I will revisit this idea and come back, revise and really flesh out a much more thorough comparison, and organize the concepts around it. Gathering real data and different takes on this idea could prove to be very interesting!
I did watch the movie Rudy last night, maybe that’s what got me going about sports, dedication, and practice!