softwareyoga.: How to be invaluable employee?

How to be invaluable employee?

Or in other words how to bring more value to the company as a result of your work?

You got to show them how your work is making a difference to their world – A world where $, savings and time to market has precedence over exceptions, design patterns and interfaces.

Listed below are some aspects that will definitely get you recognized as a programmer who goes the extra mile beyond and above the official duties.

1. Understand what the end users want in the software. Talk to them. Figure out the things they don’t like in the existing system, things they would like to improve etc. You have to solve their problems using your technical skills.
2. Identify what modules or components have the most defects in your system. Come up with high level technical approach to solve the issues. Present the ideas to the management, explain what benefits it would bring to the company and how it can save time and cost. Use statistical figures to explain how your ideas will bring vast improvements.
3. Identify things that are being done manually or with complex workarounds. Eliminate them or handle them in a better way.
4. Speak to management on what they think are the biggest problem areas. A lot of the times, getting input from someone who is away from the technical stuff helps immensely.
5. Evaluate new technologies for your product and present to the team and management on what benefits they may bring.
6. Identify and improve workplace processes. You will surely have few issues regarding the way some things are done in the company. Figure a way to alleviate the issues.
7. Many a times, the project managers might over-promise or set extremely tight deadlines – not because they like sucking the last drop of blood out of you, but often because they don’t understand enough technically. Have a discussion with them on their expectations. With your technical knowledge, provide them inputs on whats possible realistically and how the scope can be altered so that everyone is a winner.
8. Draw comparisons of your work with other industries and bring in the best practices. Often, you can draw inspiration from the most unexpected places.
9. Mentor junior employees. Train other employees on various topics and practices. In most companies, you will have someone in the company who you aspire to be like some day. Meet them and ask them if they could be your mentor or if you could shadow them in their work.
10. Automate stuff outside of your product – Find people within your company who are not as tech savvy as you are. There will be some one out there who needs a helping hand. Solve people’s problems.

In conclusion, I believe that a programmer should get involved in other activities in a company, not just coding. It serves two purposes – provide you insights from a non-technical viewpoint and an understanding that programming is not the center of the universe.