Phat Tran
software engineer
Communication
in Software Engineering
Part 1: Introduction
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
Agenda
- Q&A part 1
- WHY?
- WHAT?
- HOW?
- Use Cases
- Summary
- Q&A part 2
*Note: all the information is overly simplified for educational purpose,
no individuals targeted or judgements made
Q&A
- which is better? left-handed or right-handed?
- which is better? male or female?
- which is better? work alone or in a team?
WHY?
why do we need communication?
to stay alive
to follow rules
to express ideas
WHY communication?
- to stay alive
- to follow rules
- to express ideas
- and more...
WHAT?
what is communication?
Definition
the activity or process of
expressing ideas and feelings
or of
giving people
information
Communication is to deliver a message
source: myself
huh?
- what message?
- how to deliver?
- to who?
- what are you even talking about?
Congrats!
now we are communicating!
*just that lacking of the effective HOW, that's why it's so confusing
HOW?
how to communicate (effectively)?
Extraversion
- "I already shared everything I needed to say; more talking won't help."
- "I'll just talk about it in the next meeting rather than sending a message."
- "I don't need to ask for clarification; I can figure it out in a conversation."
Introversion
- "I prefer to think things through alone before sharing my ideas."
- "I don't feel like I need to say anything right now."
- "I'll handle it on my own; talking about it will slow me down."
Sensing
- "I don't have enough concrete information to share yet."
- "It's not relevant to what's happening right now, so why discuss it?"
- "I'll wait until I have all the details before bringing it up."
Intuition
- "It's obvious to me; they should be able to figure it out without me explaining."
- "Why bother explaining something that may change later?"
- "I'll discuss it when we get to the bigger picture; no need for small updates."
Thinking
- "I don’t need to communicate if it's just about feelings; the logic is clear."
- "They can work it out on their own; I don’t need to get involved."
- "It's not my responsibility to fix their misunderstandings."
Feeling
- "I don’t want to upset anyone, so I'll avoid bringing it up."
- "They might take it the wrong way if I bring up the issue."
- "I don’t feel comfortable saying anything that could create tension."
Judging
- "I’ve already made my decision; there's no need to talk about it."
- "It's too late to change things, so discussing it won't help."
- "I'll talk about it after I've finalized everything."
Perceiving
- "I'll wait until I have all options before communicating."
- "It’s not urgent right now, so I don’t need to discuss it yet."
- "I'll figure it out as I go; we can talk later if needed."
| Category | Type | Key traits |
|---|---|---|
| ENERGY | Extraversion (E) | fast, think out loud, prefers interaction |
| Introversion (I) | slower, processes internally, reflective | |
| INFORMATION | Sensing (S) | focus on facts, details, and present reality |
| Intuition (N) | focus on the big picture, future possibilities | |
| DECISION | Thinking (T) | logical reasoning, objective decisions |
| Feeling (F) | personal values, emotional considerations | |
| LIFESTYLE | Judging (J) | structured, prefers plans and rules |
| Perceiving (P) | flexible, spontaneous, open to changes |
source: myself
Empty your cup,
because an empty cup of water is useful.
Use Case #1
Engineers vs Designers
Problem statement
A real estate company needs a feature to filter properties by neighborhood popularity using historical sales data. It will display a color-coded map showing popularity levels.
Engineers
- ENERGY - I: inside your head
- think more than talk
- INFORMATION - N: facts, details, code
- "let's do research and gather solutions"
- DECISION - T: logic
- "how to solve it, what's the logic here?"
- LIFESTYLE - J: rules & plans
- "i have a plan, it'll take some time"
- INTJ
Designers
- ENERGY - E: fast-paced, think out loud
- "look", "listen", "let me show you"
- INFORMATION - S: big picture, how things connect
- figma design & prototypes
- DECISION - F: personal values
- "empathy" is in the design process
- LIFESTYLE - P: flexible & spontaneous
- "new-100%-final-approved-final.psd"
- ESFP
Engineers
- ENERGY: inside your head
- INFORMATION: facts, details
- DECISION: logic
- LIFESTYLE: rules & plans
- INTJ
Designers
- ENERGY: think out loud
- INFORMATION: big picture
- DECISION: personal values
- LIFESTYLE: flexible
- ESFP
Example 1:
No Communication
- Designer: Focuses on aesthetic appeal (cafes, parks).
- Engineer: Focuses on sales data (property demand).
- Result: Two different maps that confuse users.
Example 2:
Little Communication
- Designer: Starts with amenities-based design.
- Engineer: Starts with sales data.
- Midway Check-In: They adjust after talking.
- Result: The map combines both, but it's cluttered and somewhat confusing.
Example 3:
Frequent Communication
- Designer and Engineer collaborate often.
- They align on using sales data with a clear, visual heatmap.
- Result: A well-aligned, intuitive feature.
Use Case #2
Product Owners vs Designers
Problem statement
A real estate company needs a feature to filter properties by neighborhood popularity using historical sales data. It will display a color-coded map showing popularity levels.
Product Owners
- ENERGY - E: fast-paced, think out loud
- "can we do it like XYZ? Just copy them"
- INFORMATION - S: big picture, how things connect
- "any question just check how XYZ does it"
- DECISION - F: personal values
- "i want it to feel ours, must be unique"
- LIFESTYLE - P: flexible & spontaneous
- "same same as XYZ but different"
- ESFP
Designers
- ENERGY - E: fast-paced, think out loud
- "look", "listen", "let me show you"
- INFORMATION - S: big picture, how things connect
- figma design & prototypes
- DECISION - F: personal values
- "empathy" is in the design process
- LIFESTYLE - P: flexible & spontaneous
- "new-100%-final-approved-final.psd"
- ESFP
Product Owners
- ENERGY: think out loud
- INFORMATION: big picture
- DECISION: personal values
- LIFESTYLE: flexible
- ESFP
Designers
- ENERGY: think out loud
- INFORMATION: big picture
- DECISION: personal values
- LIFESTYLE: flexible
- ESFP
Example 1:
No Communication
-
Product Owner: "Just copy XYZ, but make it feel ours."
-
Designer: Adds new elements, assuming empathy-driven changes.
-
Result: Design is far from what the product owner expected—leads to rework.
Example 2:
Little Communication
-
Product Owner: "Like XYZ, but let’s make it unique to our brand."
-
Designer: Created a fast Figma prototype, but overlooked key brand identity.
-
Result: Partial alignment, some details missed, but improvements made after brief talks.
Example 3:
Frequent Communication
-
Product Owner: "Like XYZ, but unique to us."
-
Designer: Constant feedback, quick iterations, aligned throughout.
-
Result: A product that perfectly fits both the business and design vision.
Summary
- Communication is to deliver a message
- Understand yourself, try role-play to try to feel others
- Effective communication needs constant feedback
Q&A
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
That's all?
I'm glad you asked :)
Of course not, there are more.
Let's dive a bit deeper into effective communication,
shall we?
Communication
in Software Engineering
Part 2: Context, Culture & Teamwork
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
Agenda
- Q&A part 1
- WHY?
- WHAT?
- HOW?
- Use Cases
- Summary
- Q&A part 2
*Note: all the information is overly simplified for educational purpose,
no individuals targeted or judgements made
Q&A
- in soccer, strikers score goals, should a team only have 11 strikers?
- in a software company, engineers write code, should a company only have engineers?
- in a car retail shop, salesperson bring in revenue, should the company only have salesperson?
- hackers breaks system, should all hackers go to jail?
Communication
in Software Engineering
Part 3: Languages
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
Agenda
- Q&A part 1
- WHY?
- WHAT?
- HOW?
- Use Cases
- Summary
- Q&A part 2
*Note: all the information is overly simplified for educational purpose,
no individuals targeted or judgements made
Q&A
- common communication problems you face at work?
- personal struggles when communicating?
- which areas you wish to improve?
WHY?
why do we need languages?
WHAT?
what is languages?
HOW?
how to use languages (effectively)?
Use Case #1
Engineers vs Designers
Problem statement
A real estate company needs a feature to filter properties by neighborhood popularity using historical sales data. It will display a color-coded map showing popularity levels.
Use Case #2
Product Owners vs Designers
Problem statement
A real estate company needs a feature to filter properties by neighborhood popularity using historical sales data. It will display a color-coded map showing popularity levels.
Summary
- Communication is to deliver a message
- Know your styles, try role-play to try to feel others
- Effective communication needs constant feedback
Q&A
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
That's all?
I'm glad you asked :)
Of course not, there are more.
Let's dive a bit deeper into effective communication,
shall we?
Communication
in Software Engineering
Part 4: Management & Leadership
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
Q&A
Phat Tran - https://phattv.dev
That's all?
I'm glad you asked :)
Of course not, there are more.
Besides Communication Skills,
there are many more skills to learn
- learn to learn & life-long learning
- problem solving mindsets: critical, analytical, data-driven, creative, pragmatic, holistic, etc.
- self-management: priority, timeline & scope
- decision making: type 1 & 2, delegate & automate
- leadership: to help yourself & enable others
- presentation & debate: bring the best of a group
- secondary skills: engineering, testing, UI/UX design, sales, marketing, customer support, product management
Communication in Software Engineering
By Phat Tran
