Deliberate Practice in Software Development
Sun, 2009-01-25 22:37 — Mary Poppendieck
Subscribe to an RSS feed of reviews of this proposal
Level: Practicing
In the nature vs. nurture debate, researchers have declared nurture the winner. People who excel are the ones who work the hardest; it takes ten+ years of deliberate practice to become an expert. Deliberate practice is not about putting in hours, it’s about working to improve performance. It does not mean doing what you are good at; it means challenging yourself under the guidance of a teacher. Unfortunately, our organizations are not set up to develop experts, nor do agile practices encourage them. So how will we develop the experts we need to improve?
Process/Mechanics
Presentation encouraging audience questions.
Learning outcomes
- Attendees will learn about the theory behind expertise - especially the theory of what creates and sustains expertise: What researchers call “Deliberate Practice”. This talk will cover what deliberate practice is and what it is not, and why it is necessary to enhance and maintain expertise.
- Then the ideas will be applied to software development - what would be deliberate practice in software development and what approaches might we use to encourage / support it.
Featured participants
Primary target persona
Maria, the Development Manager
Maria is a software development manager at a company that manufactures steel. Her job is to guide the professional development of a hundred people while reorganizing the way software is developed in her organization. How should she organize, what practices should she use, how can she help her company stay strong?
Other target personas
Maria, the Development Manager
Maria is a software development manager at a company that manufactures steel. Her job is to guide the professional development of a hundred people while reorganizing the way software is developed in her organization. How should she organize, what practices should she use, how can she help her company stay strong?

Download session PDF
Add to calendar