Hiring and Programming

A post at developerart.com about hiring and programming had me engrossed. It's comprehensive and elicits both macro and micro thinking. I really liked this description of why we write software:

Besides, coding is not really the ultimate goal. We're not here to write the breathtaking code. We're not here to explore all of the hidden gems of some technology. We're not here to design a perfect bullet-proof architecture to accommodate for any future requirements in the next 50 (better 70) years. We've gathered together to develop software, to create a product, to solve specific problems and satisfy customers....One has to be able to simultaneously exist in several dimensions. In code when we're programming. In the needs and requirements we're programming for. In the mind of the users whose requirements we're putting in code. And also think of many other social, marketing and organizational aspects. Beyond code there are business processes, certain user experience. Don't forget usability. One has to see the big picture to excel. That special skill is however very difficult to check for when interviewing a candidate but it may happen to be even more important than coding skills or the advanced all-penetrating knowledge of the technology in use.