Do what you love

One of my friend, who started his career recently is performing a HR & Admin role in a known organisation. He also wants to try his luck with QA (Quality Assurance). He wanted my opinion on how to go about this to make a good career. I suggested to focus on one, either HR or QA. So, asked him to think and decide after discussing with his mentors, friends & contacts. More importantly asked him to listen to his heart and analyse/understand clearly to know what his passion says. I have also asked him not to rush it since it is better to face the delay now, rather than regretting the decision later. My gut feel was that he would do well as a HR.

He came back after 3 weeks with the points which convinced him to be a QA. However, I could not find any mention about his interest or passion in the list he came up with. It was clear that he had his mind fixed on QA even before doing this exercise and he was in a terrible rush. All the points he came up with for not to choose HR would very well be the reason for him to regret his choice of QA later. According to me the interest/passion and the reason for why QA should have been the first and most important thing of all the points he mentioned, but that was clearly missing from the list. My worry is that, he should not make a wrong decision now and regret that when it is too late.

There are many in this world, who are on the same boat as my friend, especially in the IT industry. People choose a profession due to the situation, attraction, family business, seeing someone successful or just for money, without even considering if it is their interest or not. Education system & culture plays a major role in making these decisions, but it is actually screwing up the profession or a career of an individual these days. If someone choose a profession which they are not passionate about or interested in, he/she will not enjoy or perform in that profession in a longer run, sooner or later they will exhaust themselves and continue to perform badly, lose confidence, feel bored and stop growing. Hence, it is very important to know where your passion is and do what you love to do.
It is a habit for many in the industry to waste their career/life just by following others ambitions and die without having one on their own. Very few will have their own vision/ambition and passionately run towards it to achieve and feel satisfied, it is their voice which will stand out in the noise.

I am sure, you have sighted these people at your workplace,
- Who are not enthusiastic, dull or bored at work and getting used to the boredom.
- Who are excited about anything initially, and not bothered about that later.
- Who never improvise or add value to their task or duty.
- Who just does what is asked for rather than challenging what is asked for.
- Who never makes an effort to initiate anything new to improvise.
- Who never responds to the mentoring or never learns from their mistakes.
- Who goes into a defensive mode whenever there is a problem.
- Who performs poorly and pretend that they are performing well.
- Who only cares about what to do rather than how to do things.
- Who always look for an easy task and stay in the comfort zone.
- Who is never satisfied at the work, but console themselves and continue to do the same for survival.
- Who finds excuses for not doing things, rather than making things happen.

...ever wondered why they are like that? they for sure are not passionate in what they are doing, yes. They either have their passion elsewhere or they do not know what their passion is.

You must have bumped into these people as well in your experience,
- Who focuses on the core task, adds value and makes a difference on what they deliver.
- Who are determined to complete the tasks to the perfection and goes extra mile to achieve the same.
- Who are always curious about things they are interested in and always keep themselves updated.
- Who can never be stopped by time or by any means when they are on to the task which is of their interest.
- Who always looks for improving the way to reach to his goals efficiently.
- Who are self motivated and no situation can stop him in reaching his goals.
- Who pours in initiatives and work towards making things happen rather than waiting for things to happen.
- Who always evaluate themselves often and are never satisfied with their performance.
- Who are always in search of challenges.
- Who are bored to do the same kind of work repeatedly.

...if you wonder why, yes, they are passionate in what they are doing, and they love what they do. Passionate people do not see the work as a task or duty, but they see it as part of their day to day life and they practice that everyday, and of course they enjoy it thoroughly.

Just dream of a life: we get up early; getting ready with an excitement to do something you enjoy; doing something which will satisfy you thoroughly; which will make you forget about this world in pleasure; where time runs in the speed of light; work your brains and body out to do what you believe in; doing something you love; doing something for yourself; feeling that you need more than 24 hours in a day; still not feeling stressed about it; going to bed with the feeling that you have done something today which took you closer to your vision; just sleeping to prepare yourself for the next day fun. Wow! Would that not be a life which everyone of us want to live? It is damn worth living for.

My 1 Rupee on hunting for the passion,

Visionary: One must have a vision, a vision which will keep us driving regardless of the hurdles. A vision which gives a meaning to your life. A roadmap should be worked out for your vision and find how to make it possible.

Brainstorm: Find the list of things you would love to do all the time. What would you have done if you were given an opportunity to choose your profession? Think, what you would want to do to feel satisfied after all of your needs are met. Read, Read, Read, a lot.

Mentors: There are lots of inspirations on the earth, get inspired. There are lots of people to admire in this world, admire them. Note down all the inspirations and admiration you bump on. Reach out to friends, family & experts, ask for their opinions and suggestions, there is a mentor in everyone. Understand their inspirations/admiration/vision/passion, learn from their experience.

Be Honest: Many people convince themselves that what they are doing is right, even though if it is not the case, due to the situation. They fool themselves by doing so. It is quite important to admit to the fact and be honest & straight forward to get the passion hunt successful. Listen to your heart and be honest to yourself.

One of my friend said, "I do not mind working hard, as long as we achieve something". It is so damn true, however you can only achieve something if you are doing something which you are passionate about or love to do, you can see wonderful results with less efforts, otherwise, even though your efforts are hard and honest, it will not yield the outcome you expect.

Of course it is a huge effort to find the passion and position the career based on the same, but it is not impossible. This initial effort and the pain is temporary and will bring great wonders later in your career and life, as an old saying goes "Where there is no pain, there is no gain". If one realises that their current profession is not of their interest, if they see any of the above mentioned 'lack of passion' symptoms in them, then it is better to re-consider their profession. Staying in the current profession will not only make them dull, it will also screw their career and life.

So, pull yourself together; devise your vision; brainstorm your desires; reach out to mentors; put everything in place; follow your heart; be honest; find your passion; work on it; enjoy everyday doing what you love to do; feel truly satisfied in what you have achieved everyday; move closer to your vision; sleep tight; look forward for the next day to move ahead...

..simply, "Do what you love; Love what you do".

"The core value of Apple is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better" - Steve Jobs

I am DONE

Last month we were debating hard about Honoring the commitment in one of our Team Talk session. Since we felt that many of us struggle with the same when it comes to action. Honoring the commitment, ha? while it is easy to commit anything to anyone, it is hard to honor the same, since it requires a disciplined and determined effort to achieve it. One of the major part in honoring the commitment is, to know when we are actually DONE with our commitment. Without that we will never know if we have honored our commitment or not.

We have been suffering a lot recently with an off-shore development company to whom we have sub-contracted our Flash development work. The struggle was when they say the tasks are DONE, and reviewing their "so called DONE" tasks always surprises us with the half-done and half-tested code. We have shed our blood to mentor them on what to do. As a result, they added an extra care and effort, only to defend that the 60% completed is equal to 100% completed. Cool ha? Realistically, they did not know the meaning of DONE.



Many used to say, This issue is RESOLVED, but need to check the impacted areas; This code is 100% DONE, but it has to be tested; FINISHED the user story, but UI is pending; I have COMPLETED the task, but...; and much more to convey that they have finished the assigned task. Verifying this would only let you taste the surprise since you will witness the half-baked solutions or deliveries which are extremely useless (ie, 'done' followed by 'but' = incomplete). This has become a common habit now in the industry and dilutes the real meaning of DONE. In other words, DONE has simply lost it's identity.

It is quite interesting to know, why we do this. The reasons maybe,

Lack of experience (Thinking that the task has been completed, without knowing what is left).
Lack of planning (Skipping the checklist to finish the tasks due to the time pressure).
Showing off (To prove that they can finish faster).
Lack of confidence (Taking short cuts to keep the job).
Over confidence (as time flies, the steps are skipped in the process).
Ill attitude (No passion, doing work for a sake, does not care about what is being delivered).
or Simply they have no clue on what they are doing.

Whatever maybe the reason, as a result, we end up delivering a half-understood, half-coded, half-tested and half-documented solution which will only question the reason for our existence as a professional. Hence, before saying "I am DONE" it is important to know whether you are really eligible to say it or not. So, what DONE really means?

There were times, we used to release software to production in the middle of the week and wait to fire fight the issues over the weekend. If no issues are reported for a week, we call it as a successful release. Is this known as DONE? or feeling confident about the release even before it was released. Is this called DONE? or does it mean when...

All code has been reviewed and checked in? All ATs have been validated, bugs found and reported? The client has approved the features? The product is LIVE? All features are documented?

Actually, DONE simply means that at the end of any task it has been completed with no leftovers, no dependencies and simply the task will never come back to us or we do not have to work on that again. The task could be anything like requirement gathering, development, testing, R & D, communication, prototyping, deployment, documentation or even writing an email. There are different roles and responsibilities in an organization. DONE at every level will mean differently.

When a Developer says that a feature is DONE, he mostly means, that all the features are implemented and the feature is ready for further enhancement, refactoring and thorough testing.

When a QA tells that it is DONE, he means, that the features have been tested, bugs reported in bugtracker, tested the resolved bugs, handed over to UAT.

When a Customer/Manager hears DONE, he mostly expects that the product is ready to be released to production.

So, it is obvious that the meaning of DONE varies on a case by case basis and at a different level. Not only at a role level, also varies at an organisation level. Every professional is unique, they have different experiences and see the software development from different angles. This diversity can lead to have a half-tested, half-documented, half-optimized and eventually half-ready components for the release. Which results in a poor quality in the end product. Hence, there is a real necessary to define what DONE really means to the whole organisation with a checklist to follow. Say for example,

Developers should consider things DONE only when...
requirements are understood; analysed; suggested options to implement the best and improved usability; doubts clarified; tasks split in detail; estimated; unit tests written; coded; integrated; migration done; required languages supported; code reviewed; cross browser supported; unit tested; reviewed all the acceptance criteria for all scenarios; installation/uninstallation scripts written; checked everything into repository;

QA should consider things DONE only when...
requirements are understood; analysed; suggested options to implement the best and improved usability; doubts clarified; written acceptance criteria; smoke tested the features in QA; acceptance criteria checked; boundary values checked; impacted areas checked; usability checked; translation checked; security checked; performance checked; cross browser compatibility checked; reported bugs in bugtracker; verified the resolved issues; demo is done; handed over to UAT;

Managers should consider things DONE only when...
objectives set for sprints; priorities set; analysed; designed; coded; integrated; built; installation tested; code/data migrated; features tested; change requests logged, communicated and recorded; communicated delays; risks analysed; contingency planned; issues fixed; ensured quality and value addition; reviewed by stakeholders; accepted by the customer; harvested the sprints/project; features and future enhancements documented;

Like the above example, every professional must have a checklist to tick it off before they say it is DONE. It should be a built in quality in every professional. Even if any one of the items in that checklist is not ticked, the task is considered incomplete. You might come across few missing items in the checklist during the project execution, it is recommended to add that to the relevant checklist as you go by, so the next time it will be taken care.

Partially finished features results in hidden costs to the company with an enormous and unpredictable amount of work. This screws up the release planning efforts and prevents from honoring our commitments. Partially done work often becomes outdated before it's finished, it always gets in the way of other work.

How many times you have hacked (temporary fix) the code and never visited again to fix it for good? How much time you had spent in reviewing and cleaning up your code before submitting to the client? How many times you have worked all the night and in the weekends to complete something and still not satisfied with the delivery? How many times you felt ashamed when the client finds out an obvious issue in your delivery? How many times you had to lie and be dishonest to yourself and the client about your awful planning and delivery? These are the questions that tells us how wasteful partially done work can be.

So to qualify ourselves as a professional, we must always ensure that when we say or consider that something is DONE, mean it and ensure that the checklist defined by us or an organisation has been taken care of, nothing is left over and ensure that the completed task will never come back to us again. After all, we want to deliver quality software to add value to the customer.

Dance like nobody's watching

Dhoni is a young and enthusiastic chap, sincere, committed & talented. He was admired by our team for his energetic attitude. He influences our team without a doubt when he is in action. However, he had a habit of updating his team lead often, very often about his work, even when it was not necessary or not asked for. Yes, on what is done, what is left, how quick he can finish the work etc. When his team lead ignored his updates, he started updating his lead's boss.

Yuvraj, who always answers "Yes, I know", "Yes, It's already done", "Yes, I've already tried this", "I just thought about it, you said it" etc. He always pretends that he knows the solution for all the problems. There were even times, where he answered "Yes, I know" to my question and went and googled for the answer later.

..and there was Zaheer, who always says "Yes, I agree" to whatever his boss or his favorite colleague says. The answer from him would be the quite opposite if the same point was mentioned by others. Zaheer also pretends that he is listening to others, but actually he will be in his own world. When he comes back asking for the same information, the team will be puzzled.

Then there was Nehra, who always toggles the window when people walk around his desk. He wastes most of the time in observing who is watching him or who is talking about him.

Do you know Dhoni, Yuvraj, Zaheer and Nehra? I can see you nodding. You're right, we can find them in us and around us very often. Deeply thinking about what is common between these behaviors, it is their motive, which pushes them to practice these habits, which makes them as slaves and diseased... at the end which spoils their career and themselves before they even realise. Yes, the motive of trying to do things to please someone or prove something to someone.

Many people believe that progressing in their career or life will happen by just pleasing someone or by always trying to prove something to someone, however by doing that they fail to realise the fact that,

they are only fulfilling others wish than their own;
they only spend time and get stressed in thinking about others than themselves;
they mostly do things only to dodge from others words or views;
they arrest the freedom, individuality and creativity;
they don't add value either to the organization nor to themselves;
they work for the boss, not for the organization;
Simply, they are slaves to the people who they are trying to please;

The above mentioned facts are not the qualities of the people who are on a mission to achieve their own vision. Visionarypeople need a clear head and cannot afford to waste even a minute in doing some unnecessary stuff, because just 24 hours a day is not enough for them. Actually, it is a lot of effort to do things to please someone, which will stress you out and blocks your progress in career and life.


While there are infinite things left to learn in this industry, one of the fact I came across is that the industry has played a considerable role in contributing to the people's attitude. One of the way the people have been brought up by the industry is by promoting the hierarchical culture which encourages the egoistic and self boasting attitude (few people are exception). Hence even the young professionals are cultivated with the same culture, which is a shame.

When you do the right thing, Your colleagues might rub their bad mouth on your back, your boss might watch you with his half visioned eye or even your friends might fire at you with a double barrel gun. All you have to do is...

Be honest and open, always stand up for the right thing;
Do not do things to please anyone or prove anything to anyone;
Be as you are, pour in your uniqueness in whatever you do;
Own the tasks as if it is yours, enjoy the ownership;
Treat everyone as the same in the team, including your boss;
Do the best you can to add value in whatever you do;


I won't say that nurturing this attitude and environment in the team helps you to achieve the following 100%, but at least to 70%...

More satisfied team members and an excellent work environment;
Improved product quality with suggestions and ideas;
Do the right thing and feel proud;
Focus only on the end-user, no one else;
Work with everyone, not for anyone;
Freedom, Individuality, Creativity promoted;

So guys, simply,

"Start the music, and get yourself moving, warm up and imagine you are hosting the party. Remember that you are not dancing to prove anything or please anyone, you are dancing because you feel so. It doesn't really matter if you are not a good dancer or if someone is watching you, all that matters is that you make an effort with the right attitude and have fun. On the dance floor, boss, sub-ordinate, peer, anyone and everyone is the same."

Mth Dimension

"I have always found him arrogant and rude, I cannot work with him"
"I have no time, sorry cannot help you"
"I am so stressed, I am lost"
"As soon as we can dump him, we should"
"I know others get this much salary, why not me"
"It's your fault, not mine"
"Between you and me, he is an idiot"
"I got a promotion, but no pay rise"
"Do not you question me ever"
"Yes Boss, you are right"
"I am tired of explaining things to this guy"
"I do not feel like I am working in a partnership"
"I quit"
....

All these years, I have grown up in my career hearing the above and much more from all kind of people at all levels in an organization. Trust me, it may sound very light, but in reality it is not. These have been a cause for the teams to fail, organizations to fall, values to stall and personality prostitution. I myself have tooled some of the above and been a victim for all of the above. It was a pain to go through, pain, which many cannot bear.

Alright! Alright! is there a vaccine, cure or a medicine ?

I was one among the many who researched for the same. I have tried many individually and in a group, but none worked out. Maybe I have not been following the suggested course properly, or not fit enough to take it yet.

Is there a better medicine? Is there an instant cure? Is there a vaccine to protect?

"Time passed, One fine day, Eureka!! I found the medicine, cure and vaccination. It will be the solution for all of your pains caused by the above adversities, conflicts, egos and what not, it will save your team, organization, values and personality. This is an ultimate cure for all of your problems. Take it and never suffer."

Well, I wish I had said the above, but... practically it is not a miracle which happens in overnight, it requires time, it requires a team, it requires an effort, it requires practice, it requires patience, it requires passion, most of all...
...it requires a different view... Yeah...

The Mth Dimensional view.

This initiative is to create a network to program our minds to have a Mth Dimensional view on things to find a medicine and cure for the pain or even a vaccine to protect ourselves.

Here you go, the first line of the program has been written, join me to code our minds further or debug ;-).