What is the first thing we do when a major issue occurs in a live system? Sort it out of course. Then we start the hunt for the person to blame so that they can suffer the appropriate punishment. What do we do if a person is being awkward in the team and won’t agree to our ways of doing things? Ostracise them of course, and see how long it is until they hand in their notice – problem solved. This highly interactive talk delves into why humans have this tendency to blame and punish. It looks at real examples of punishment within the software world and the results which were achieved. These stories not only cover managers punishing team members but also punishment within teams and self-punishment. We are all guilty of some of the behaviours discussed. This is aimed at everyone involved in software development. It covers: • Why we tend to blame and punish others. • The impact of self-blame. • The unintended (but predictable) results from punishment. • The alternatives to punishment, which get real results.

1. Punishment Driven Development #pdd
Louise Elliott
@IvanaTerrorBull
#agileinthecity

2. When
Then

3. Who’s to blame?

5. An Experiment…

6. An Experiment…
Low High

7. Scenario 1
John is at a football game when he sees
another fan, called Steve, wearing a scarf
supporting the opposing team. John tells
Steve to take the scarf off. Steve refuses and
John hits him in the face.

8. Blameworthiness
Punishment

9. Bonus

10. Bonus

11. Bonus

12. Bonus

13. Bonus

14. Bonus

15. Why do we punish people?

16. Why do we punish people?
- To put other people off doing the same thing
- So that the individual won’t do it again
- For retribution
- To compensate the victim

17. Scenario 2
John and Steve are hunting in the woods.
Despite the fact that John has followed all
safety rules his shotgun misfires,
accidentally hitting Steve in the side. Steve
dies before John can fetch help.

18. Blameworthiness
Punishment

19. Odd man out

20. Blame the BA

21. Scenario 3
John drives a security van containing money.
One day Steve kidnaps John’s daughter and
threatens to kill her if John doesn’t give
Steve the money. John gives Steve the
money from his van and his daughter is
returned safely.

22. Blameworthiness
Punishment

23. Yes but…

24. Hansei

25. Scenario 4
John planned to kill his mother for the
inheritance. He dragged her to bed and lit
her oxygen mask with his cigarette, hoping
to make it look like an accident. His mother’s
clothes caught fire and she burnt to death.

26. Blameworthiness
Punishment

27. Self-punishment

28. Personal Kaizen

29. Angry man

30. Scenario 5
John and Steve are friends who share a
competitive streak. They frequently play
tennis together. One day when they are
playing Steve easily defeats John 2 games in
a row. In frustration, John returns the ball
particularly hard and it hits Steve in the eye.

31. Blameworthiness
Punishment

32. (Buckholts et al, 2015)

33. (Buckholts et al, 2015)
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

36. over controlling people
over punishing mistakes
over putting others in their place
over changing their behaviour
People

37. People Driven
Development
#pdd

38. linkedin.com/in/louiseelliott @IvanaTerrorBull
Louise Elliott