Top 17 Things Business People Do That Make Developers Cringe

This is a list of the most frequent complaints I’ve heard during my 17 years of being a developer. In no certain order…

• Diminish developers’ work/value by using the words: “just”, “only”, “simple”, or “slight”.
• Asking for developers’ opinion(s) and then doing the exact opposite
• Not knowing exactly what you want.
• Adding more tasks or changes and expecting the deliverables on the same deadline.
• Asking why the tests didn’t catch a bug even though you promised the deadline for the deliverables without asking the developers who are going to build it.
• Selling a product or feature that doesn’t exist and then lighting developers on fire to deliver.
• Treating developers like your personal documentation system. RTFM!
• Bypassing the agreed upon process for engaging developers when you need something.
• Reporting a customer issue or bug without providing any details
• Sending an email, and then when we don’t respond immediately…sending an IM, SMS, calling, or the worst; coming to our desk to tell us about your email.
• Using technical words, phrases, or acronyms incorrectly…or spinning them into marketer buzz words.
• Trying to chat on instant messaging and sharing a long idea in sentences (making it impossible to know when you’re done and we should respond)
• Turning a hackathon into a free-work-a-thon by restricting the parameters to work related projects.
• Not prioritizing paying down technical debt
• Calling, emailing, or texting developers while we are on vacation / PTO.
• Being told there is no headcount, but hiring 20 new marketers and sales people.
• TPS reports