How to keep web developers happy and productive

Web developers are a special breed.  I find that they are often far more creative than other types of application developers I have come across – with many having artistic or creative side interests.  Because so much of what we do on the web ultimately winds up as a user interface, or affecting the user, a good web developer is by his or her nature, intensely user-focussed and full of ideas on how to make your web application or portal better.

So here are a few pointers on how to keep web developers happy and by extension, productive. 

a) toys/gadgets from Think Geek when they’ve finished a big release.  Even better if you tailor the toy to each person’s interests/personality.

b) praise.  Trivial as it may sound, recognition and positive feedback both privately and in front of the team when they’ve done a good job is essential.  Nothing gets a developer beaming more than the announcement in the team meeting that their latest feature has seen a 10% increase in revenue from that portal.

c) challenge – good developers like to work on interesting projects that challenge them to grow their skills.  Give them a tough problem and then encourage them to figure out how to solve it.

d) the right tools – you wouldn’t expect a mechanic to fix a modern engine with nothing more than a crescent wrench and a jack, so make sure your developers have the right tools – double monitors, proper seating and lighting, and fast enough processors that they can actually operate in real time.  Ensure that they have the software tools they need to get the job done too.  Few things make a developer crankier than having to take 2 hours to do something manually that could take 2 minutes with the right tool, not to mention the waste of corporate resources when you look at the actual cost of a developer’s time vs the cost of investing in the right software.

e) open, transparent information – help them to understand what the business objectives are and WHY the requirements are important. People do a far better job delivering features if they know why the feature is important and how it helps the business. Developers do not take kindly to not-so-reassuring/patronizing pats on the head.

f) empowerment – I know it sounds cliche and worn-out, but give them the ability to choose the tools that work best for them, make recommendations on process improvement. Give them the ability to take ownership of a new process to ensure its successful implementation and you’ll see a real boost in morale and productivity. Even if you have a UI designer or design team, let them participate in UI and feature design. Everyone is building sites to allow greater collaboration with customers and partners but many organizations forget to extend that to their process of developement. Let your team collaborate and participate. Don’t just spoon feed them functional specifications.   

g) flex hours and the ability to work from home when they are sick or waiting for a delivery.

h) chocolate. Lots of chocolate.  Or Swedish Berries. They like those too. Especially at that 3pm low-point in the afternoon…