| One of Microsoft's cool people, is
Patrick Blackburn. As a test manager for the Product Group, Blackburn's job may
sound routine; however, he says it's anything but that. "Most people ,think of software testing as a mundane task of punching the keyboard like a monkey, trying to break the program," Blackburn says. "Part of that is true, but we write software programs called Monkeys to do that for us so that we don't have to hire real monkeys. Real monkeys are too difficult to manage and don't usually pass the personal hygiene criteria !" In reality, Blackburn says, testing responsibilities are very technically challenging and often include complete development cycles of their own. He spends most of his time coming up with creative incentives to convince his team to believe in schedules for products that don't yet exist, hiring great people to build strong teams, and pounding on the products to find bugs before the customer sees them. According to Blackburn, the most critical thing you can do to succeed at Microsoft is to focus on what you believe is important. "It's easy to get overwhelmed with everything going on around you, so first and foremost you need to stay focused," he says. "What you focus on needs to be something you firmly believe in so that you'll pursue it and defend your mission with a passion. " He also thinks that one of the biggest differences between his co-workers at Microsoft and those at his former workplace is the sense of ownership and the impact on the business that everyone shares. "We hire people who tend to become personally attached to the products and the success of the company, and the environment really perpetuates this," Blackburn says. "It's much easier to motivate a team at Microsoft than any other company I've been in. " One of the most difficult parts of Blackburn's job is staying ahead of the people who report to him. "Because there are so many smart people and technology is changing so quickly, it is a constant challenge to keep up," he says. "I hope that's because I hire such great people!" To succeed, Blackburn uses time management tactics and allocates a specific amount of time to education. "My personal goal is to spend at least 20 percent of my time learning new things through formal and informal methods. " |