Adam Keys is Thinking
Follow @therealadam on Micro.blog.| therealadam.com
Granted, quality of idea matters. The worst idea executed swiftly and repeatedly is still probably the worst idea. But it’s hard to know, with ideas, when you’ve got a winner or not. Hence, the power of iteration. output=iterations∗rate∗ideaoutput = iterations * rate * idea There are many ways to turn a good idea into great work. Generate one immaculate idea, get it done, get it out there, promote it relentlessly. Have ten good ideas, try them all quickly, put the best idea out there,...| Adam Keys is Thinking
Explosion of mediocrity, video gaming edition: it’s become easier to build games, so there are more and more games every year; but the number of highly acclaimed games per year has stayed constant or even declined slightly (orange dots). Nabeel S. Qureshi More accessible does not mean success comes more easily or more work will have higher quality. Accessibility is orthogonal to magnitude and density of quality. For any creative endeavor, this is true.| therealadam.com
Look at this bit of CSS. For greatest effect, imagine sending it yourself from ten or fifteen years ago, or the first time you hit upon a limitation in browser compatibility or looked at someone else’s stylesheet and wondered “what the heck is going on here and what’s a high-pass filter?” Marvel at all the things that are just there, no hacks or preprocessors or compilers required. Gradients, animations, input states. CSS has grown into the open-ended, declarative, and compatible syst...| Adam Keys is Thinking
In that order, every time. I make a big deal about working downhill. Get stuff done, slice it smaller, get feedback, go again, remove friction, a little faster this time. But let me tell you, none of that matters if it doesn’t come together and feel great once it’s all assembled in front of you. When you feel it, you know. The feature makes you smile when you use it.| therealadam.com
When leading projects, in any capacity, avoid startling your colleagues. Tech leads, engineering managers, product managers, etc. need to keep peers and stakeholders informed. When there are successes, let them know. When risks are discovered, communicate the steps taken to mitigate them. When setbacks occur, indicate how it will affect the remaining scope and schedule of the project. Dig out, not up. Stakeholders and peers are startled when they think a project is smooth sailing only to hear...| therealadam.com
So you messed up. Now what? Late projects stay late. It’s terrifically rare to “catch up” on a late project. When projects run late, it’s because you’ve missed something in your original estimate: you’ve guessed that work will take x days, but it’s taking 1.5x, or whatever. For you to “catch up”, your estimate would have to be wrong about the rest of the project, but in the opposite direction.| therealadam.com
I like the idea of practicing1, in the musical or athletic sense, at professional skills to rapidly improve my performance and reduce my error rate. When I was a music major2, I spent hours practicing ahead of rehearsals, lessons, and performance. Until recently, I was unable to conceive of how I might do the same for leadership.| therealadam.com
