Tag Archives: developers

You have your DevOps. Where is your DevRel?

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In today’s technology-driven world, developers play a crucial role in creating and maintaining software solutions. As the demand for digital products and services continues to grow, it’s more important than ever for companies to establish a strong relationship with developers. This is where developer relations, or devrel, comes in. Devrel focuses on building strong relationships with developers to create a thriving community around your products and services.

If you’re a software company or any organization that relies on developers to create products or services, focusing on devrel can provide significant benefits. Here are some reasons why you should make devrel a priority.

Access to a wider talent pool

The developer community is vast and constantly growing. By establishing strong devrel programs, you can connect with a wider talent pool of developers who can help you create innovative solutions. You can also leverage their skills and knowledge to improve your existing products or services.

Enhanced product development

Developers are often the first to identify issues or potential improvements in your products or services. By building a strong devrel program, you can solicit feedback and suggestions from developers, which can help you create better products and services that meet the needs of your users.

Improved customer satisfaction

By providing developers with the tools and resources they need to create solutions using your products or services, you can improve overall customer satisfaction. Developers who are satisfied with your products are more likely to recommend them to others, which can increase your customer base.

Brand recognition

Devrel programs can help establish your brand as a leader in your industry. By providing developers with the tools, resources, and support they need to create innovative solutions, you can build a strong reputation as a company that values its developer community. This can help attract new customers and partners who want to work with a company that prioritizes innovation and collaboration.

Community building

Devrel programs provide an opportunity to build a community around your products and services. By engaging with developers and providing them with a platform to connect with each other, you can create a sense of belonging and foster collaboration among developers. This can lead to new partnerships and opportunities for innovation.

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of devrel, let’s dive into the different roles and responsibilities within a devrel program. Here are three key roles you’ll find in most devrel programs:

Developer Advocates

Developer advocates are the voice of the developer community within a company. They serve as the bridge between the company and the developer community, ensuring that the needs of developers are heard and addressed. Developer advocates often attend conferences and events, engage with developers on social media, and create content to help developers succeed with the company’s products or services. They also work closely with product teams to ensure that developers have the tools and resources they need to create solutions using the company’s products or services.

Developer Evangelists

Developer evangelists are responsible for spreading the word about a company’s products or services to the developer community. They attend conferences and events, create content, and engage with developers on social media to raise awareness and generate excitement about the company’s offerings. They also work closely with developer advocates and product teams to ensure that developers have a positive experience with the company’s products or services.

Community Managers

Community managers are responsible for building and nurturing the developer community around a company’s products or services. They engage with developers on social media, moderate online forums, and create events to bring developers together. They also work closely with developer advocates and developer evangelists to ensure that the needs of the community are being met.

Overall, devrel is a multifaceted discipline that requires a variety of roles and responsibilities to be successful. Developer advocates, developer evangelists, and community managers are just a few of the key roles you’ll find in most devrel programs. By working together, these roles help build a strong relationship between a company and the developer community, leading to improved products and services, enhanced customer satisfaction, and increased brand recognition.

In conclusion, investing in devrel can have a significant impact on your business. By establishing a strong relationship with developers, you can access a wider talent pool, improve your products and services, enhance customer satisfaction, build brand recognition, and foster a community of collaboration and innovation. By making devrel a priority, you can ensure that your business is well-positioned to succeed in today’s technology-driven world.

Metrics to avoid while comparing developers

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Is it a false assumption that writing more code, making more code changes is better? Let’s see.

As the software development industry continues to evolve, the need for measuring productivity has increased as well. Managers often use metrics such as lines of code or commit count to gauge the performance of developers. However, using these metrics can be counterproductive, and often leads to negative consequences for both developers and the company. In this post, we will discuss why line of code or commit count is a bad metric, and what should be the metric a developer is measured on instead.

Line of Code and Commit Count: A Flawed Metric

One of the most common metrics used to measure a developer’s productivity is the number of lines of code they produce. The idea behind this metric is simple: the more code a developer writes, the more productive they are. Similarly, commit count is another metric that is used to measure productivity. A commit is a snapshot of code that a developer makes to a code repository. The more commits a developer makes, the more productive they are presumed to be.

However, both of these metrics suffer from several flaws. Firstly, the number of lines of code or commits a developer produces does not take into account the quality of the code. A developer could write a thousand lines of code, but if they are poorly written, buggy, and difficult to maintain, they are not productive at all. Similarly, a developer could make hundreds of commits, but if they are not adding any value to the project, they are not being productive.

Secondly, these metrics do not consider the context of the project. The number of lines of code or commits required for a small project is vastly different from that of a large, complex project. A developer working on a small project could write a few hundred lines of code and be done with it, while a developer working on a larger project could write thousands of lines of code, but still be far from completing the project. Comparing the productivity of these two developers based solely on lines of code or commit count is not a fair assessment.

Thirdly, these metrics can lead to unhealthy competition among developers. When developers are measured based on the number of lines of code or commits they produce, they may feel pressured to write more code than necessary, even if it means compromising on quality. This can lead to a culture where developers are encouraged to prioritize quantity over quality, leading to technical debt, poor code maintainability, and increased project costs in the long run.

A Better Metric for Measuring Developer Productivity

So, if lines of code or commit count is a flawed metric, what should be the metric a developer is measured on instead? The answer lies in measuring the value a developer adds to the project. The value a developer adds is a combination of several factors, including the quality of their code, their ability to meet project goals, their collaboration with team members, and their contribution to the project’s overall success.

Measuring value can be tricky, but some of the ways to measure it include measuring the impact of a developer’s code on the project, the number of bugs they fix, the number of customer tickets they resolve, and the feedback they receive from team members and stakeholders. These metrics provide a more comprehensive view of a developer’s performance and their contribution to the project’s success.

Another important metric to consider is the developer’s ability to learn and grow. The technology landscape is constantly evolving, and developers who can learn and adapt to new technologies are more valuable to the company. Measuring a developer’s ability to learn new skills, their participation in training programs, and their involvement in open-source projects can provide insights into their potential to grow and contribute to the company’s long-term success.

In conclusion, lines of code or commit count is a flawed metric for measuring developer productivity. Instead, companies should focus on measuring the value a developer adds to the project. What are these?

There are several tools that can be used to measure the metrics that truly matter for developers and the success of a project. Here are some of the tools that can help measure good metrics:

Code review tools – These tools can help measure the quality of code written by developers. They can identify bugs, code smells, and other issues that could impact the project. Some popular code review tools include SonarQube, Code Climate, and Crucible.

Agile project management tools – These tools can help measure the progress of a project and ensure that developers are meeting project goals. Agile project management tools like Jira, Trello, and Asana can be used to track the progress of sprints, measure the velocity of the team, and identify areas where improvements can be made.

Feedback tools – These tools can be used to measure the impact of a developer’s work on the project. They can collect feedback from stakeholders, customers, and team members to provide insights into the value that a developer is adding to the project. Some popular feedback tools include SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and Typeform.

Analytics tools – These tools can help measure the performance of a project and identify areas where improvements can be made. They can track metrics such as user engagement, conversion rates, and page load times to provide insights into the overall success of the project. Some popular analytics tools include Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Kissmetrics.

Learning and development tools – These tools can be used to measure a developer’s ability to learn and grow. They can track participation in training programs, involvement in open-source projects, and certifications obtained to provide insights into a developer’s potential to contribute to the company’s long-term success. Some popular learning and development tools include Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning.

In summary, using tools that focus on measuring quality, progress, feedback, performance, and learning can provide a more comprehensive view of a developer’s performance and the success of a project. Companies should consider using a combination of these tools to measure the metrics that truly matter for developers and the success of their projects.