ColdFusion Muse

Henry II on Vacation - Why Teams Matter

There are thousands of applications built by one brilliant programmer. It plays out like this: Bob, the founder of Acme, has a great app idea. He hires "a computer guy" - that's how my mom describes me, a guy who "works with computers" like I was an employee at Best Buy. This "computer guy" is fantastic. Let's call him Henry II because I just watched "The Lion in Winter" and Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn are soooo good together. Where was I? Oh yes, Peter... er... Henry is a guru-level programmer. He thinks along with Bob and builds to spec. He partners with Bob - the idea guy - to help the product succeed. The product grows and becomes wildly successful. In short order, it is obvious to Bob and Henry that the application needs more help than Henry can provide. So they set out to build a supporting cast of developers around Henry to share the load. This scenario plays out thousands of times every year all over the world. A superstar needs help and help is hired. And that is where our real drama begins...

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