Sometimes the developers have to sit at the table and talk to each other.
In the really big Enterprise projects, where you bring together the greatest of the great (sometimes still bleeding) AND you pull in the well established, proven technologies, you often end up with a wide variety of languages, thoughts, strengths and weaknesses. (sprinkling in acronyms and it can get really crazy)
Each person is a deep expert in their specialty, but getting each expert to use a language that other experts can understand is a challenge worth noting.
If one person is talking Plugins, Processes, and Actions and another is talking approval cycles, statuses and signoffs and a third is discussing throughput, bottlenecks and distribution you might have a disconnect.
The trick?
Recognition. : Acknowledge and recognize that different languages are being spoken.
The second Trick?
Diversity Training : Point out that each person is incredibly different, show a few videos.
The Third Trick?
Collect all the egos and put them in a bag on the table. They cause so much heart ache!
Now add transparency. Acknowledgement and diplomacy.
I have yet to master all of the above. My fears, well ingrained XRM/CRM Think, opinions and even my female blond hair have known to get me in trouble, but I don't regret my transparency and shared knowledge. I regret my lack of occasional sensitivity. I get so excited about the project and the technologies, I can forget about the people.
It does TAKE all variables. People, Process, Technology (well recognized buzz)
So back to the first line of this post. In the world of partners, there is this tendency to yell over the fence to the developers the criteria and requirements that need to be met. This works for many a plugin or DLL, but sometimes the developers really need to talk to other developers.
So this is a shout out to partners, vendors and ISVs to let the guys and gals with their heads down coding out in the field, to fine tuning their business skills and to encourage them to participate in some dev to dev discussions. It can increase quality and create a bigger network of knowledge shared, knowledge learned.
Oh and a message to all developers in the world of Dynamics CRM and External apps talking to CRM: Keep an open mind, find the STRENGTHS and learn how to work with the not yet released or newer weaker areas, from those who have mastered the road before you.
Your developer peers are a close knit team writing code every day with variables that you might not be aware of.