Networking the Drupal Way
The registered headcount of this year’s Drupalcon was around 1700, which is more than a threefold increase compared to the Szeged eventfive years ago. Even back than it was an experience to make me shove my ties back in the wardrobe and leave the big corporation to create something new… to date.
Only future will show whether Drupalcon 2013 has sown seeds that will grow into change but I have definitely learned that
- Prague is beautiful,
- Beer tastes marvellous,
- It was worth coming to CxO day.
Eighty-five people participated on the first day’s CxO event. Its essence was to provide an opportunity for the big fish to have a taste of the little ones. The former were looking for talented suppliers, whereas the latter for work opportunities. During the first round-table discussion Europe has again ruptured in two, and it’s been discovered at once that from Switzerland westwards everyone has too much of what eastwards too little: work.
HR vs. People
A guy from the States asked whether we really call the stuff concerning people HR in Europe? “I mean it is about people, why should we call them resources? “ he argued correctly; although as if it wasn’t in their country that Taylor had been conducting time studies over the conveyors of Model T. For the record, a hundred years passed by, and seemingly, the mentality has also improved.
Then an outsourcing CEO from India was asked whether their working according to agile methodology also means that their developers are in direct contact with the clients, right? To understand their business needs, so that they can do their job better and maybe even to enjoy what they are doing. This CEO asked in return: “the most important business factors of an IT company are the human assets, aren’t they? We should protect them, shouldn’t we?” generating the repost query whether he was referring to the people with that assets, like Peter, Paul or Mr Jones…
Apart from that, the ambiance was not half as snappy; the guys were very understanding with each other. Waterfall vs. agile was quite a hot topic all day long, one could hear all sorts of things in connection, one of the ringleaders even cried ‘agilefall’ to the greatest pleasure of the others. When I brought up ‘agile contract’ a British gentleman declared there is no solution to the fix budget / agile problem. He has never seen anyone to sign a contract without scope and sum. Not on the western side of the European Rupture at least.
My persuasion strengthened on the following:
- Skills in software development methods is a competitive advantage that can bring causes to success,
- It is of vital importance to pick your clients wisely, so you have to stand out from the market crowd to be able to say no to seemingly attractive opportunities and focus on your operational relationships,
- In most cases it isn’t the ringleaders that are worth networking with.
In the light of the above, lining up behind the big participants dominating the market carries the risk of losing one’s freedom, degrading one’s personnel to resources and the inability to effectuate agile operation along a waterfall contract. For me, the right choice is to remain with the smaller, less-known participants and make do with the corresponding budget, so as to safeguard the employees’ liberty and the work experience.
