I wondered if by calling it a bug we are creating the image of something that is creepy and unwanted and promoting the notion that these thing needs to be gotten rid of one way or another as quickly as possible. Allowing us to rely on the defect tracking system where we anonymously assign it to someone or leave a comment on the ticket and hope someone deals with it....
Queue today's team presentation:
Slide 1 - BIG cockroach
- When we talk about the bug we found in the software this is the type of image that springs to mind right? (team nods) And what do we want to do to bugs? "Squash it" (must have been riveting - already a response, but they think at this point they know where i'm going)
Slide 2 - Foot stomping on cockroach
- Exactly! We want to squash bug! But what i want you to think of when you find an issue is...
Slide 3 - 4 pictures of the cutest kittens on the first page of a Google image search of cute kittens
- A kitten!!!! And what do you do when you find a cute kitten?
Slide 4 - picture of kitten eating and picture of kitten dressed up
- You feed it, you take care of it,
Slide 5 - picture of a girl hugging kitten
- You find the right owner for the kitten, who will look after the kitten and love it
Slide 6 - Lost kitten poster
- When i find a ticket with no owner, no comment no resolution it's like this - a lost kitten!
Slide 7 - Found kitten poster
- Find those lost kittens! love them and care for them and find them an owner
So I've told my team I'm going to start asking them if they are caring for their kittens and making sure they don't get lost and giving them all the care and attention they deserve.
Hopefully I made a point - not sure where the idea for the cat chat came from, but I had fun and my team thinks I'm just a little bit crazier :).
