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Dungeons and Developers: Uniting Experience Levels in Engineering Teams

Chantelle Isaacs • May 07, 2024 • Detroit, MI

In the talk titled "Dungeons and Developers: Uniting Experience Levels in Engineering Teams" delivered by Chantelle Isaacs at RailsConf 2024, the central theme revolves around leveraging the collaborative aspects of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) as a metaphor for fostering diverse engineering teams. Isaacs emphasizes the importance of collaboration, diverse perspectives, and the roles individuals play in a team just as characters do in D&D. She introduces several key points throughout her presentation:

  • D&D as a Framework: Isaacs relates the roles in D&D to the dynamics in engineering teams, illustrating how diverse backgrounds contribute to problem-solving and innovation.
  • Team Dynamics: Highlighting the need for varied skills within development teams, she correlates different engineering roles with D&D character classes (e.g., back-end developers as Wizards, front-end developers as Sorcerers).
  • Self-Assessment: The use of a 'Developer Character Sheet' is introduced as a tool for attendees to assess their skills, backgrounds, and roles. Attendees are encouraged to reflect on their individual contributions while recognizing the necessity of teamwork.
  • Experience Levels: Isaacs challenges traditional measures of experience by stating that levels in a tech context should not only indicate years but also skills and contributions from diverse experiences.
  • Collaboration & Growth: The discussion extends to the concept of evaluating team dynamics to identify areas for professional growth and mentorship opportunities.
  • Culture Fit vs. Culture Add: She promotes the idea of adding fresh perspectives to teams to enhance creativity and adaptability.

Throughout the presentation, Isaacs engages the audience with hands-on activities, prompting them to identify their roles and skills in a fun, illustrative manner. She concludes the talk by encouraging developers and managers alike to appreciate the unique strengths each person brings to the table, reinforcing that a diverse team leads to better solutions and innovation. The key takeaway emphasizes assembling a well-rounded team that not only complements technical skills but also fosters collaboration and diverse perspectives to navigate the challenges within the tech landscape.

Dungeons and Developers: Uniting Experience Levels in Engineering Teams
Chantelle Isaacs • May 07, 2024 • Detroit, MI

Dungeons and Developers: Uniting Experience Levels in Engineering Teams by Chantelle Isaacs

Join us in “Dungeons and Developers,” a unique exploration of team dynamics through the lens of Dungeons & Dragons. Discover how the roles and skills in D&D can enlighten the way we build, manage, and nurture diverse engineering teams. Whether you’re a manager aiming to construct a formidable team (Constitution) or an individual seeking to self-assess and advance your career (Charisma), this talk will guide you in leveraging technical and transferable talents. Together we’ll identify your developer archetype and complete a 'Developer Character Sheet'—our tool for highlighting abilities, proficiencies, and alignment in a fun, D&D-inspired format. Developers and managers alike will leave this talk with a newfound appreciation for the varied skills and talents each person brings to the table.

RailsConf 2024

00:00:10.880 Good afternoon, everybody! Here to tell you about someone with seven years of experience working with student tech and teams.
00:00:17.920 Chantelle Isaacs is currently a career coach, working with junior Rails developers entering the industry, as well as the teams that hire and mentor them.
00:00:29.080 She also plays well.
00:00:38.760 Hi everyone! Thanks so much for being here.
00:00:46.760 I am really excited to be here. As Joh said, my name is Chantelle.
00:00:53.320 I am a career coach and provide career services at Le Wagon Academy, where our students learn Ruby on Rails.
00:01:00.559 I've been coming to these conferences; this is my fourth year.
00:01:06.680 It's really exciting to be up on stage this time. So, let's get started!
00:01:13.799 Welcome to "Dungeons and Developers!" We’re going to talk about how Dungeons & Dragons and its analogies can help us in building diverse engineering teams.
00:01:20.920 Before we get started, I hope you all saw the pieces of paper that were on your chairs.
00:01:28.320 If you didn't get a piece of paper on your chair, please either steal one from an empty chair or raise your hand, and Joh will give you one.
00:01:33.399 Secondly, I’d like to poll the audience.
00:01:38.759 I assume that coming to a conference like this, there’s a good overlap between people who play D&D and those who attend.
00:01:46.079 However, I don't want to just assume that. So, if I could get everyone to use your hands.
00:01:52.240 Please put up zero fingers if you have no clue what D&D is and you’re just here because a friend dragged you, up to five fingers if you are a level 18 D&D player.
00:01:58.600 I’m seeing a lot of fingers—this is good! I see a couple twos, a zero in the back, a couple ones, but mostly threes and fours.
00:02:04.240 The good news is that even if you have no clue about Dungeons & Dragons, you should still be able to take away some valuable insights from this talk.
00:02:10.840 If not, please talk to me later, and I can give you a quick rundown on how to play the game in about 15 minutes.
00:02:17.160 So, for everyone's orientation: Dungeons & Dragons is known as a tabletop role-playing game.
00:02:22.879 You have a group of people who've decided they want to go on an adventure in a pretend land together.
00:02:28.760 There’s someone who narrates this adventure—your Dungeon Master—who guides you through the characters you meet, the troubles you face, and the treasure you find.
00:02:35.519 Together, you are collaboratively creating a story.
00:02:40.680 It's all about working together to achieve the goals set by your Dungeon Master.
00:02:46.480 This means you need to build a diverse adventuring party. In short, it’s playing fantasy for fun with rules.
00:02:52.319 Those rules usually involve rolling dice, introducing elements of chance and risk to the game that we can’t always represent in real life.
00:03:04.360 I'm not going to be talking about dice-rolling here today, but we’ll cover a lot that’s relevant to all of you.
00:03:12.159 Now, why would I bring D&D into RailsConf?
00:03:18.599 Thankfully, I'm not alone; if you attended the talk before lunch, you’ve probably gotten a nice dose of D&D here at RailsConf!
00:03:24.000 My reasons for discussing D&D stem from the parallels I've observed between the roles people play on a team and those in an adventuring party.
00:03:31.959 It's crucial to have diverse individuals fulfilling these roles to have multiple perspectives and insights.
00:03:38.159 The skills people bring into tech often stem from varied backgrounds, as I work mainly with career transitioners—those who’ve had different careers before.
00:03:45.360 Let’s face it, most of us did something else before entering tech: maybe flipping burgers, landscaping, or working in retail.
00:03:51.400 We all bring unique experiences that contribute to the skills we've developed over the years.
00:03:58.520 No one wants someone who only knows how to push code; collaboration is essential in a development team, just as it is in D&D.
00:04:02.920 You can ruin everyone’s fun if you suddenly decide to do your own thing.
00:04:10.280 Working together and understanding your team dynamics is something I’ve noticed as particularly important.
00:04:15.760 Finally, diversity within an adventuring party strengthens the team experience.
00:04:23.760 It lets you know who you can rely on, and who brings new perspectives to the table.
00:04:30.640 Just like with engineering teams, the more diversity you have, the better the solutions we can create.
00:04:38.000 You don’t want everyone to think, act, or look the same; otherwise, you create blind spots.
00:04:44.200 With more diversity, you cover a wider range of unknowns.
00:04:51.680 Now, regarding those paper pieces on your tables: if you did not receive one, there’s a QR code.
00:04:57.280 I finally figured out how to make a paper PDF, so feel free to grab that.
00:05:04.440 We’re going to fill this out together.
00:05:11.199 First, let’s fill this out for yourself, as it’s best to know how you'd fill this out.
00:05:17.000 Let’s start with our developer background.
00:05:22.120 As I mentioned, nobody starts knowing how to code. What are the origins you bring from your previous career?
00:05:28.919 It could relate to your upbringing or your parents' work.
00:05:34.319 Your background significantly influences what you contribute to a team.
00:05:40.199 In the Dungeons & Dragons universe, there are many more races than just humans.
00:05:47.319 The roles you might fit into could vary.
00:05:51.760 For instance, if you have a background in leadership or management, you could be seen as a Dragonborn.
00:06:01.199 Similarly, if you come from service or hospitality, congratulations, you are a Halfling!
00:06:08.560 If you have a background in engineering or construction, you would be recognized as a Dwarf.
00:06:15.479 And if you transitioned through tech and startups, you might classify as an Elf.
00:06:23.479 If there’s a mix between backgrounds, you might identify as a Human.
00:06:31.639 There is actually merit in acknowledging your multi-disciplinary background.
00:06:36.960 I’m also curious about how many of you put Dragonborn.
00:06:44.440 I see a couple of hands, not many. Own it! How many of you identified as Halflings?
00:06:51.760 Perfect, I see quite a few. What about engineering backgrounds, anyone here as Dwarves?
00:06:59.240 And those from creative industries, any Elves in the room?
00:07:07.000 I love it! And how about generalists?
00:07:14.000 Amazing!
00:07:19.120 Moving on, a team comprises more than one type of person.
00:07:24.560 At RailsConf, I have an idea of where most of you will identify on your sheets.
00:07:32.200 Going over the different roles on a development team, aligning them with D&D classes is insightful.
00:07:39.120 In D&D, classes are akin to jobs, and different jobs entail different skills and abilities.
00:07:46.999 So those of you who are back-end developers, congratulations, you are Wizards!
00:07:52.120 Frontend developers: you are Sorcerers.
00:07:58.960 If you're in design, you are a Bard.
00:08:03.640 If your domain is QA, you are a Barbarian.
00:08:08.320 Team leads, you’re Fighters and project managers, you’re Rogues.
00:08:14.000 Product managers are Druids, navigating between user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.
00:08:20.639 If you’re in DevOps, you are Clerics.
00:08:24.960 Again, why are there only eight roles? I only have 30 minutes!
00:08:32.760 What backgrounds and roles resonate with you?
00:08:38.960 Now, looking at your role, how do you measure levels?
00:08:46.520 I was invited to give a trigger warning before discussing levels, so let’s carefully explore how this can seem daunting.
00:08:56.960 Consider two people: one who has a computer science degree and is a senior developer with eight years in the industry.
00:09:02.079 The second person is a boot camp graduate that transitioned into tech after teaching for eight years.
00:09:09.040 What level would you classify both of these individuals?
00:09:17.240 Even with this basic information, I theorize that they are both level 8.
00:09:23.400 In this analogy, a level reflects years of experience in a professional environment.
00:09:30.360 In tech, we frequently use terms like junior, mid-level, or senior to describe career paths.
00:09:38.640 However, in this analogy with Dungeons & Dragons, I believe level actually relates to skills and abilities, not technical capacity.
00:09:47.959 So consider how many years you’ve been working in any professional job; that’s your level.
00:09:54.960 Shifting into abilities: there are six categories, which include skills.
00:10:02.440 The six abilities in D&D are strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.
00:10:07.480 To clarify these abilities, think of it from the tomato analogy: strength is how many tomatoes you can carry.
00:10:15.040 Dexterity is about dodging tomatoes; constitution is about how many you can get hit by.
00:10:21.039 Intelligence relates to knowing that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing not to put tomatoes in a fruit salad.
00:10:29.040 Charisma is being able to create a tomato-based fruit salad.
00:10:36.399 Everyone has varying levels of strengths across these abilities, which reflect what we contribute to our teams.
00:10:42.399 Use the scale of zero to five for assessing these abilities.
00:10:51.600 A zero doesn’t mean you lack it; it just means you haven't honed the skill, while a five represents peak skills.
00:10:59.480 Reflect on statistical models for hiring, accounting for both years of experience and ability levels.
00:11:06.960 The first ability we’ll discuss is strength, which correlates to technical capacity.
00:11:14.200 When hiring for senior developers, you’ll identify minimum technical capacity, which could vary.
00:11:21.760 It’s vital to assess individual strengths and the technical capacities that relate to tangible skills.
00:11:28.560 Next, dexterity relates to agile problem solving: can you quickly find solutions to issues?
00:11:36.760 Can you adapt to shifting requirements? Skills here include adaptability, attention to detail, and discretion.
00:11:43.520 The third ability, constitution, relates to resilience and persistence.
00:11:49.679 How capable are you of enduring long work hours and remaining productive despite stress?
00:12:00.600 Next, we will quantify stress tolerance with hitpoints in D&D—how many challenges can you withstand?
00:12:07.520 To rate your constitution, provide a score between zero and five.
00:12:14.920 Now moving to intelligence—how innovative are you in problem-solving, and how well can you strategize?
00:12:22.560 Intelligence relates to creativity and innovation, which are essential in both engineering and adventure.
00:12:29.440 Wisdom pertains to strategic insight; it’s not just about the present but where you need to go.
00:12:37.319 Lastly, skills under charisma involve collaborative communication.
00:12:44.920 How do you energize and inspire your team? How assertive are you in sharing needs and boundaries?
00:12:51.600 As we work through this section, I hope you will assess your skills critically.
00:12:57.840 Moving to the next section, let’s address languages.
00:13:04.800 Think about the programming languages you can code in and any additional languages you speak.
00:13:12.159 Consider communication styles you can adapt; this is especially crucial in a tech-driven environment.
00:13:19.680 Next is your inventory—what tools and certifications do you have?
00:13:27.000 Now we move on to proficiencies: what skills can you claim expertise in?
00:13:34.240 These include project management, negotiation, or even skills from your personal pursuits.
00:13:40.720 Once we’ve discussed individual skills, let’s address how to evaluate team dynamics and what everyone brings to the table.
00:13:51.600 In D&D, you generally play around a dining room table, adventuring together.
00:14:01.440 In the tech world, we certainly gain more foresight regarding our projects, but unexpected issues arise that we must navigate collectively.
00:14:10.119 Use a skill distribution chart to evaluate skills essential to your team.
00:14:17.999 Identify areas where self-assessments could yield actionable insights.
00:14:24.840 Many tools and programs exist to assist teams in exploring their strengths and weaknesses.
00:14:29.760 As we assess team dynamics, it will also help you recognize who may need mentorship or professional development.
00:14:37.319 Through this exploration, consider the people missing from your table.
00:14:46.480 After evaluating both individual and team skills, you’ll uncover areas for growth.
00:14:55.360 We look toward hiring decisions and how to best position your team for success.
00:15:04.080 As you navigate these discussions, be conscious of culture fit versus culture add.
00:15:13.199 Employing fresh perspectives helps build a more dynamic and versatile team.
00:15:20.960 So continue to explore your character and assemble your party to embark on adventures.
00:15:29.000 Thank you all so much for being developers!
Chantelle Isaacs
@chantelle-isaacs
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