Wout Molenaar
In de zestiger jaren van de vorige eeuw doemt er een probleem op in de computerwereld. De hardware wordt allengs sneller, groter en betrouwbaarder, maar de softwareproductie kan deze ontwikkelingen niet bijhouden. Grote softwareprojecten lopen in het honderd en wetenschap en industrie maken zich zorgen. Er worden conferenties belegd en plannen gesmeed om het onderwijs in de nieuwe discipline te (her)vormen. In die jaren voltrekt zich een proces waarbij de romantici langzaam plaats maken voor de technici. Zo discussieert men in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1968) over de softwarecrisis en duidt men een nieuw vakgebied: software engineering. Een van de problemen die een rol spelen is de attitude van de software-ontwikkelaar.
In 1971 schrijft Gerald M. Weinberg het lezenswaardig boek “The psychology of programming” dat de problemen vanuit een andere hoek belicht: minder technisch, maar met nadruk op de emotionele, sociale en psychologische facetten. In een van de hoofdstukken breekt hij een lans voor wat hij noemt egoless programming.
In de tijd dat Weinberg zijn boek schreef was het alleszins normaal dat men de programmeur een gloed van kunstenaarschap toedichtte. Computeranalfabeten waren in de meerderheid en bezagen de producten van de computerindustrie met ontzag en be/verwondering. Op zich hoeft dat nog niet zo’n probleem te zijn, maar het was vaak zo dat de programmeurs zichzelf ook zagen als kunstenaars en hun programma’s waren de kunstwerken, wellicht aangespoord door boeken als de “The art of programming”[1]. Dit kon ook anders vond Weinberg.
Op zich is er niets mis met het feit dat men zijn eigen werk beschouwd als een vonk van God en denkt dat kwaliteit inherent is en dat kanttekeningen zetten bij die kwaliteit een daad van blasfemie is. Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Bach, Appel, Dylan zijn voorbeelden van mensen die zich niet veel aantrokken van het gepeupel langs de zijlijn en sommige programmeurs vonden dat een aantrekkelijk standpunt en handelden volgens dat principe. Maar die vlieger gaat voor software niet op. Er is namelijk nog een facet: de software moet correct zijn en die correctheid komt hoogstzelden vanzelf, die moet bepaald, aangetoond, bewezen worden.
Weinberg vindt dat een programmeur zijn product moet kunnen delen met anderen. Vanzelfsprekend mag hij trots zijn op zijn ‘creatie’, maar dat neemt niet weg, dat hij de verantwoordelijkheid moet hebben om zich bloot te stellen aan kritiek. Hij moet zijn geestesproduct losweken van zijn ego. Dit stelt eisen aan de beoordeelde en de beoordelaar van het werkstuk. Het blijkt voor veel mensen een stap te zijn om hun werk publiekelijk te laten beoordelen. Het wordt ervaren als ‘eng’ en zij beleven de kritiek op hun werk als kritiek op henzelf. Sommige beoordelaars hebben ook nog wat te leren. Hun achterliggende idee moet zijn dat het beoordeelde product verbetert of dat de beoordeelde er wijzer van wordt en zelden leidt het rücksichtslos afbranden van andermans werk tot iets moois[2].
In de softwarewereld worden dergelijke zaken getraind en meestal blijkt dat de cursisten deze training als positief ervaren. Het leren omgaan met kritiek geven én met kritiek ondergaan zijn waardevolle lessen. Je hoeft niet mild te zijn in de kritiek op het werk, maar je moet in woord en daad duidelijk maken dat je de persoon achter het werk blijft waarderen. Het feit dat hij zijn werk ter beoordeling aanbiedt, maakt het überhaupt mogelijk er iets nog mooiers van te maken.
De neveneffecten van de werkwijze zijn dat de mensen die hun werk aanleveren voor commentaar meestal hun werk nog een keertje extra nakijken, hetgeen de initiële kwaliteit verhoogt en dat – en dit geldt zeker voor software – hoe eerder de fouten ontdekt worden, hoe lager de kosten zijn om de fouten te herstellen.
Op het internet vond ik de tien geboden voor egoless programming[3]. Onderstaande is een verkorte, vrij vertaald weergave.
- Begrijp en accepteer dat je fouten maakt.
- Vereenzelvig je niet met het product van je arbeid. Het commentaar is gericht op verbetering.
- Hoe goed je ook bent in ‘karate’, er is altijd iemand die het nog beter beheerst.
- Herschrijf niet iemands werk zonder overleg. Er is verschil tussen ‘verbeteren’ en ‘herschrijven’.
- Behandel mensen die minder kennis hebben met respect, eerbied en geduld.
- De enige constante in de wereld is verandering. Sta er voor open en accepteer het met een glimlach.
- Echt gezag stoelt op kennis en kunde, niet op de positie die je inneemt. Wil je gerespecteerd worden in een egoless omgeving, cultiveer dan je kennis en kunde.
- Vecht voor de zaken waarin je gelooft, maar aanvaard je nederlaag gracieus. Begrijp dat je ideeën soms worden genegeerd.
- Wees niet de kluizenaar die af en toe wat uit zijn grot gooit. Samenwerking levert meestal meer op.
- Lever kritiek op het product in plaats van op de mensen. Geef zoveel mogelijk opbouwend commentaar, gericht op de verbetering van het werk. Relateer je commentaar aan afspraken, specificaties, bronnen, efficiëntie, etc.
Wie wind zaait, zal storm oogsten.
[1] Donald E. Knuth, 1962
[2] Ik wil hier een uitzondering maken voor de mensen die dit afbranden, inhakken en vermalen tot een kunst verheffen.
[3] www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/05/the-ten-commandments-of-egoless-programming.html
waarschijnlijk opgesteld door Lamont Adams op basis van Weinbergs “the psychology of prammaning”.
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