The Dave Test

Joel Spolsky wrote an article back in 2000 outlining some basic
questions to ask of an employer to gauge the effectively of a software development
team.  The questions that he poses are still valid today and in addition to being
good talking points during an interview, the ideas can help team managers like
me look for areas of improvement in our teams.

It strikes me that while these questions are excellent tools in
gauging a team, there are questions that could be asked about the company in general
that will help you understand if this will be a good place to work.

I consider myself extremely lucky to work at Healthwise. 
We are a 30 year old not-for-profit, mission driven company whose guiding principle
is to help people make better decisions about their health care.  This may sound
rather mundane, but in practice the culture that has evolved at Healthwise is one
that I would not trade.  That culture has helped to evolve my thinking when posing
these questions.

Flexibility and Red Tape

1. What is the process for buying a book that I need?  What
   about a trackball?

2. If I have a good idea for improving our product, who do I tell?

3. If I need a new server for a particular project, who makes that
   decision?

Your Potential Manager

1. What are the guidelines for lunch hours?

2. What is the process for taking personal time to attend to a kid
   at school or something of that nature?

3. When I have worked 3 nights in a row to hit a deadline, what will
   management do to recognize that?

4. What was the last event that the team participated in outside
   of the office and when did that occur?