Jeff Barrett

Formerly @USGSA, @CADeptTech, @USDS, @stitchfix and @Opower.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish ~70% separate leads and mgrs!? Yikes.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

The ambiguity of what is and is not "modernization" in government IT might be one of the things making it hard.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish This is pretty common for senior leaders from above. Are you seeing this a lot where leaders get this from their staff?

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish Yep. And our unconscious is going to do it’s work, whether we know it or… hi I‘m Jeff! :D

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish My shoot from the hip contribution is in the question: “why don’t people show more empathy for people in [situation they think is different than their own].

We are evolutionarily wired for antipathy towards the out group.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish My friend and colleague @anmcoach has some thoughtful writing on this: https://t.co/tFyBB0HOEW

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@peterme It’s an assumption that raises flags for me too. The problems with this model became more obvious when Data Science was added as the 4th, top-level discipline.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish Y

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

Look at this diagram on Wikipedia and imagine:

1) The numbers on the x-axis are features
2) How drastically those lines separate from each other as you go out further

https://t.co/FhK0FMqBL5

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

Software complexity doesn't grow linearly with features/tech debt.

It grows geometrically if you do it well, and exponentially if you don't.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

Great engineers often got to great by developing a finely tuned, technical hypervigilance.

It's not great to demand the benefits of that mindset but penalize for its drawbacks.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@LoisLeeMD @BostonChildrens @jen_hoffmann1 @EFleegler That Jeff Barrett sounds great! Sadly I am not he :)

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

That misunderstanding causes lots of downstream problems, including unreasonable burden/blame on one function, disempowering other leaders, and allowing a lack of alignment across leadership to fester.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

Don't confuse an *org-wide* lack of leadership, strategy, and prioritization/focus with "not enough Product Leadership/Managers/Management".

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish Generally agree. After the industry/roles evolve that part of “product/product mgmt” is maybe just “leadership”.

Side note: the “and then you don’t” might only hold if nothing changes.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish To take one step closer to the ledge, I have wondered for a while if the role will be very different 10+ years from now.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@johncutlefish That’s a subtle but important distinction. Lots of good Product Management is done by people who aren’t Product Managers. We might be better off if we pulled them apart.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

After 20+ years I sometimes think the most important technology lesson I've learned is to use as little of it as possible.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@roybahat Depends on your definition of “worked”. As I spend more time at scale I’ve begun to think we don’t have helpful mental models for, “working well”, that scale up and down well. Might be related to why leaders struggle to stretch far from scale they know.

[Jeff Barrett @jeffbarrett]

@geoff2k @jonathanedean @davidamcclain @joelstrait @davetron5000 @expliKateD @bobbins Hmm. Might the change history offer insight?