Putting Yourself Out of Work
It is too common in the software industry to see contractors and consultants try to make themselves indispensible. The usual approach is to hang onto some key knowledge. I take the opposite view. Working to put yourself out of work is the best strategy.
As a consultant, who also implements solutions, I’ve always tried to make myself despensible by:
- Sharing knowledge freely. I always gain more knowledge from a project than I can ever give away. That makes me more valuable, without having to keep things to myself.
- Doing my best to ensure that the client can run with the solution without me being there to baby sit it. Having a bus factor of one is bad for any organisation.
When you put the client first there is a good chance that the same client will offer you another project. It is also a good incentive to stay sharp and do a good job. Taking any other approach just seems wrong.
Sure, I have my own preferences for technologies and how things should be done, influenced by my experience. That’s part of why clients engage me, but my preferences should not dominate the project. The focus should always be to provide sustained business value for the client. You cannot deliver that if you are the only person who has the knowledge.
[Hat tip to Gerald Weinberg.]
Note to self: Remember to always follow own advice.