How do I explain to my team members I can't debug their code all the time?

Question

Background: I was hired along with 6 other people to help clean up internal webpages. A couple of months later, the manger and the people above him decided that when we're done with the internal cleanup, they will pay and train us to learn Python. In one meeting, the manager tried to introduce us to Python to give us an idea of what it's like. I have a background of working with Python (I'm self-taught, and build and maintain Python projects on my Github). Rather than announce that I already know Python, I stayed humble and kept my month shut, because I might learn something I didn't know.

During the managers tutorial, he ran into some trouble with the IDE and code he was demonstrating. He told everyone to come back in a few minutes, while he worked on fixing the code. I offered to help him and in less than 5 minutes he was up and running. When the meeting resumed, he gave me a thanks in front of everyone, and moved forward.

During the training, we're given exercises to complete with a review process afterward.

Problem:

I don't know if it was the "thanks" I received or if the manager told the team without letting me know, but they keep coming to me to help them debug their code. At first I didn't mind, I showed them what was wrong, how to fix it, and how to use the IDE to help them debug. The problem is, they don't care to do it themselves. The issues aren't all that difficult to understand (wrong variable names, calling functions that don't exist, or with the wrong number of arguments).

I'm getting work from the manager, plus the training we have to go through (I asked, and the manager stated I have to go through the training, regardless of what I know), it's too much.

How do I politely explain that I'm not the team's debugger/problem fixer? There is a review process afterward, and to learn from that?

Answer 1

You should have a discussion with your manager about your role. They may understand that debugging other employees' code is part of your job description. Let the manager know the trade-offs you face while working in the company. For example, you might say "when helping someone to debug their code, I don't have time to work on X, delaying outcome Z."

If debugging other's code doesn't affect your outcomes for the company directly, but you simply just don't enjoy debugging other people's code and don't think it is part of your job, that is also something to discuss. Find your formal job description and have a discussion with your manager about it. Discuss what needs to change in the job description and if raises/promotions may be warranted if the job description has been changed.

If the manager agrees its not your responsibility to debug code for others, then polite pointing to documentation, e.g. "what did the documentation say about this?" is a good way to respond that forces others to do a lot of research before they ask you to help them debug.

Answer 2

Make sure in every instance it takes them longer to ask you than to do it themselves. Don't just fix their code, inflict a long-winded lecture on them in the process, demonstrate how to use the tools, inflict long philosophical discussions on development etc. Painstakingly find and show them the relevant documentation for every statement they get wrong, and then read it aloud to them, in a droning monotone. Aim to waste at least half an hour of their time per (simple) question.

Not answering would just get you labeled as a nasty, unhelpful person. But making it painful will have the opposite effect, while ensuring that they start thinking twice about whether it's worth the pain.

Answer 3

I don't know if it was the "thanks" I received or if the manager told the team without letting me know, but they keep coming to me to help them debug their code.

It's important that your manager is aware of what's going on where your team members coming to you for help. Propose to your manager a plan that both satisfies the business need and your career ambitions.

For instance, Tech leads and senior engineers will need to mentor more junior team members. The fact that your team member respect you enough to ask your question is already a step in the right direction. You could tell your manager that you would like to carve out some of your time to bring your team members up to speed and productive on their own projects.

But if you'd prefer to focus more on the project your manager has given you stated that and make sure your manager communicate that the team members should reduce their dependence on you.

To me, I would do a combination of both. I would help my team members help themselves (i.e. teach them the tools to debug on their own and create a team slack channel, email list or similar where people can answer each's questions) and make sure I make a splash with your new project.

Answer 4

This is an excellent opportunity to become a team lead or get promoted. You show them that you can help train and lead a team and the rewards will almost certainly follow.

However, since this is not in line with your tentative career track, you can tell them that you are busy with a high priority task from the boss and ask them if they can post their question on StackOverflow. While simple questions are generally down voted and closed, they do tend to get answered fairly quickly. They will quickly stop coming to you since you don't help them (because you are busy) and they learn to use the wonderful resource that is the Internet.

Answer 5

As the subject matter expert in a domain that none of your coworkers know anything about, it might be hard for them to look up solutions online if they don't even know what they're looking for, and it might be hard for them to understand things on the internet if they have a base of literal zero. Therefore, they need to be ELI5'd a lot of this type of stuff, which is why they come to you. If you think the problem is reasonable, you should help them with it.

That said, it sounds like they're coming to you with a lot of very basic programming stuff that holds across all languages (e.g. variable names/function names which don't exist). In those cases, I would institute the "three strikes you're out" rule: Help them twice, and then the third time they ask you something silly like this, report it to your manager. They should be expected to check these sorts of very simple, very obvious things before coming to you for help, although conversely if the problem is nontrivial you should allow them to leverage your expertise. Be generous with what you consider "trivial", because they know basically nothing in the subject area.

Answer 6

If you don't want to spend time on that - just tell them to do it yourself. A polite "sorry, I'm busy" when you're busy or "sorry, I want to rest" when you're resting will do. Be straightforward - why shouldn't you? If you stop yielding to those request they will eventually stop asking you.

You also may want to ask coworkers if anybody told them to come to you for help. If management did, talk to the person who did that and explain that you need to concentrate on your own work and don't look forward to leading position. That's if you don't look forward to it, of course. Otherwise you can discuss the opposite: how you can lead and teach the rest of a team and what benefits you get for doing so.