Role Descriptor: Chief Programmer
The Chief are experienced developers who have been through the entire software development lifecycle a few times.
Based on Method Role: Chief Programmer
Relationships
Performs: Responsible for:
Additionally Performs:Modifies:
Main Description

The Chief are experienced developers who have been through the entire software development lifecycle a few times. They participate in the high-level requirements analysis and design activities of the project and are responsible for leading small teams of three to sic developers through low-level analysis, design, and development of the new software’s features. Chief Programmers also work with other Chief Programmers to resolve day-to-day technical and resourcing issues. Self-driven to produce quality result on time, Chief Programmers combine great technical ability with enough people skills to lead small teams to produce results every few days. Other typical characteristics of Chief Programmers are that they are trusted and respected by both their managers and fellow developers, are determined to make the team succeed and usually live the work.

Feature-driven development requires someone to lead the DBF/BBF processes, feature by feature, leading by example (as a designer and programmer) and by mentoring (especially by way of inspections). The number of chief programmers limits how fast and how far you can go with your project. If you want to increase project speed, recruit another chief programmer. A chief programmer in this context is someone who is significantly more productive than others on your team. The amplifying factor comes from a combination of raw talent, skills, training, and experience. Occasionally all those talents come together within one human being. Adding more programmers tends to slow down a project. We find this to be true with one exception: with small, client-valued features and lightweight processes, when you add a chief programmer then you can add people around him and actually accelerate a project by increasing the amount of in-parallel development you can tackle—but again, only to a point.

Properties
Multiple Occurrences
Optional
Planned
Staffing
Skills Great technical ability with enough people skills to lead small teams
SynonymsFeature owner