A Underappreciated Software Developer who searches for new technologies that are better than what is currently being used.

Special Abilities

Overview

The Ranger endeavors to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology landscape. Rangers counteract the natural tendency of established codebases to rely on out-of-date technologies by seeking out and evaluating better modern solutions. They are careful to separate short-term fads from long-term trends and are diligent in proving to themselves and their team that a technology switch is worth considering.

Rangers love discovering and evaluating the latest technologies. They are excited by the ceaseless march of technology and the promise new approaches bring. They are, however, very pragmatic and judicious in their cost/benefit analysis of switching to a new technology. Their main strength lies in their uncanny ability to remain optimistic about finding new worthwhile technologies while still retaining enough skepticism to make informed recommendations.

Rangers often delight their team with concise and well-reasoned opinions on the hottest technologies. Their research and evaluation efforts neatly bypass what are often lengthy disagreements among software developers regarding which tools, languages, frameworks, and systems should be adopted. Rangers often give their teammates the inside track on industry trends, as they allow their entire team to stay up-to-date simply by listening to their recommendations.

Identification Checklist

• Will pay close attention to the latest industry trends.
• Will fully investigate and validate a technology before recommending it to their team.
• Will assess the appropriateness of a new technology in solving real problems their team currently faces.
• Will create prototypes to uncover any challenges that might be encountered while integrating the new technology.

Common Misconceptions

• Rangers are not The Technology Enamored, as they focus on appropriate technology selection rather than simply adopting a technology because it is new.
• Rangers are not The Idealist, as they are focused on introducing better solutions not necessarily ideal solutions.

Supporting Team Members

• The Sage is a great collaborator in evaluating if a new technology is worth considering for adoption.
• The Assassin is a very good partner in helping to produce prototypes and proofs-of-concept.
• The Mechanic can offer guidance on how a new technology can be integrated system-wide.
• The Healer can offer guidance on how a new technology can be integrated into a legacy part of the application.

Showing Appreciation

• Rangers enjoy the opportunity to present their new findings to their entire team, rather than only a few interested parties.
• Rangers enjoy spirited discussions around the pros and cons of adopting new technologies, rather than having technologies rejected outright.
• Rangers deeply appreciate when the entire team rallies together to integrate a new technology that they have discovered.