Code of Delta
Code of Delta is a document I wrote for the team I was heading at Synthesis. It laid down the ground rules and is a summarization of my professional philosophy. I realized I never published it, so here it is.
Welcome to Delta.
If you’re here, it means you are either thinking of joining Delta or you’ve already joined and want to know who we are.
In physics, ∆ is used as a symbol for change. Which is what we are - we are the driving force of change. We make shit happen.
Our motto is „Find a way or make one”. There is nothing that can stop us, because we do not give up. We are smart and capable, when faced with an obstacle, we find or make a way to remove it.
I want to be clear - the goal of Team Delta is to be the best. We will work hard, we will work smart and we will work well. I will put pressure on you and I will expect much. At the same time, I will make sure you have anything you need to succeed.
This document will lay the ground rules so that you know what to expect and what is expected of you.
What I will give you:
Support
I will do whatever is necessary to make you succeed. I will give you all the tools, all the information and all the help I possibly can to set you up for success. When you’re stuck, I will help you find a way or make one.
Clarity
If any requirements or specs are unclear, I will make them clear. If there’s anything you’re unsure of, I will help you get clarity
Platform
I will listen to everything you have to say. We will have regular 1-on-1’s where you will have a platform to speak your mind. You can also always offer feedback when we plan or discuss. Also, I will support any efforts to make our work/codebase/processes better and we will allocate time - you will need to plan this within the constraints of our planned work, but we will find a way.
Feedback
I will tell you how you’re doing. I will offer suggestions on how to improve. I will explain what you can be doing better. If you screw up, we will analyze it together to ensure it will never happen again.
Transparency
I will not hide stuff from you. I will explain the rationale of each decision and if for whatever reason I can’t I will tell you that without bullshit. And then find a way to get you that rationale.
Plan
I will make sure that our work is planned, broken into tasks and that we estimate it. I will make sure we have small deliverables and ship early and ship often.
However, we are at an early stage startup, which means that chaos is to be expected. Which is ok with us, because we will find a way. We will adapt to changing circumstances and overcome any obstacles together.
I don’t want you working nights or weekends - there might come a time, however, when it will be necessary. I will let you know and be transparent about it. If we go into crunch mode I will fight to keep it short and ensure proper downtime afterward.
Downtime
I expect effort, but I do not expect you to work 24/7. I expect you to properly and realistically define and estimate your tasks so that you are rested for each day and ready to tackle any challenge.
We have unlimited PTO, but I expect each team member to take 4 weeks of time off a year with at least one block of 2 weeks taken off. This should be scheduled in advance so does not disrupt our work. It is important to take a proper break and the team must learn to operate in your absence.
What I expect of you:
Ownership
I expect you to own any task you are given. That means that you will deliver it and if anything is blocking you will find a way or make one. If the spec is unclear, you will work with the product team to clear it up. If you’re blocked by another team, put pressure on them, raise it on the daily or find a way to not be blocked. If the tech is causing problems, you will ask for help, learn more to understand the problems or find another way.
I also expect you to own your mistakes. I do not expect you to not make mistakes. We are all human. However, if you make a mistake, I expect you to be focused on fixing it, be transparent about what the situation is, use any tools or team members to fix it and then find a way to prevent that mistake in the future.
Focus
Barring outages and critical bugs, planned work is your priority. I expect you to stay focused on it to deliver it in the estimated time. Delivering planned work is the main metric by which your performance will be evaluated.
Effort
I expect you to put in the work. If you commit to delivering something in a specific time, I expect you to get it done.
Of course, we will not always fully succeed. However, as long as we’re giving it our full effort, it is ok, we will course correct - we will improve estimates or our process. However, if we fail to hit our plans because we were slacking off or we lost focus, we will need to address that.
Reliability
I expect you to operate on a similar level every week. I expect you to provide estimates that are realistic and can be met. I expect you to be reliable. Only in this way can we move forward sustainably. If you know you can’t, communicate as soon as possible.
Communication
If you need time off, say so. If you have a personal matter that is distracting you, say so. If you’re sick, say so. Situations like these are natural and we can adapt to them, but only if we are aware of them.
Make sure you communicate your availability - if you have a regular thing at a known time or you have an upcoming event, add an OOO event to your calendar.
Speed and Quality
I expect us to be fast, but not compromise on quality. This means that we will work with product on the spec to make sure we work in small deliverables, ship early and ship often, deliver to product as early as possible and work with them to get to the finished state.
Support
I expect you to help your teammates. We operate as a unit and support each other in tight spots. I also expect you to reach out if you are in need of support rather than getting stuck. Asking for help is finding a way.
Feedback
I expect you to speak up. Many times your feedback will lead to a better solution. Sometimes your feedback will be dismissed. If it is dismissed, I will make sure you know why it was dismissed.
What will get you fired:
Lack of communication
If you don’t communicate your progress, we don’t know where we are. If you don’t communicate blockers, we don’t know what they are. If you don’t communicate, we can’t help you and then we have to deal with a surprise.
Lack of effort
You don’t put in the work, you’re hampering the progress of the team and you’re putting strain on your teammates to carry the load. If there is a problem, speak up, we will find a way. If you’re slacking, I will come for you to understand why and it will not be pleasant.
Whining
Whining is complaining about something without offering a solution. We find a way or make one. Propose a solution or explain the problem in such a way that other teammates can help you solve it.
That’s it
If you disagree with what you just read, you’re in the wrong place.
If you agree, welcome, we will do awesome work together.