Signs you’re working in a feature factory (2016)
I suggest re-reading this article in the negative: Assume that your team implemented every single one of these bullet points perfectly, for every feature in every sprint. Now imagine that each of those bullet points is a recurring meeting invite on your calendar. Now imagine how happy you&#x27;d be spending all of that time in meetings or reading process-related e-mails so your company could satisfy the criteria of not being a feature factory. Does a feature factory sound so bad now?<p>I thought this article was great when it first came out, but I&#x27;ve since changed my mind. I&#x27;ve seen too many engineers, especially junior engineers, become overly cynical about their jobs after reading too much into this one article.<p>1) With 12 different &quot;signs&quot; of a feature factory, it begins to read like a horoscope: Almost everyone reading it can find something to identify with. Multiply this across every different project or initiative at a company, and everyone can think of multiple times their job has resembled the descriptions in this article. Does anyone actually read this article and walk away thinking their company has never once resembled the vague signs in the article?<p>2) It begins with an implied assumption that working in a feature factory is a <i>bad thing</i>. Combine that with the horoscope-like 12 possible indicators of a feature factory, and the reader will always conclude that their workplace is the <i>bad thing</i>.<p>3) It sets unrealistically high standards. The alternative to a &quot;feature factory&quot; is defined in the negative in this article. Can you think of any company that would score a perfect 12&#x2F;12 on every bullet point in this article across every team in every department? The process overhead would be significant, and it would very easily translate to a lot of meetings, e-mails, and overhead.<p>The kernel of truth within the article is still very valid. Teams should absolutely take the points into consideration and apply them judiciously, where it matters. However, it&#x27;s a mistake to use this article as a checklist by which to judge your company&#x27;s process. Real work is always a bit messy, communication is never perfect, and just because you don&#x27;t see these things with your own two eyes doesn&#x27;t mean they aren&#x27;t happening somewhere in the company.<p>As a product manager, suggestions are always welcome and I&#x27;m happy to discuss reasoning for decision making, but I also don&#x27;t burden the entire team with every detail of every step of the way.