madewithlove

Are you feeling like progress is stalling as your software team grows? Do you feel product delivery is slow? Is there a communication breakdown or too much technical debt? Finding the right balance is hard. Sometimes, slowing down is the smartest way to speed up 🚀 . Andreas Creten talks about the tradeoffs software leaders need to make when building a growing product. The goal is not just to move fast—it's to move smart.

"You have a hard problem? Sarah will fix it!" As engineers gain experience and tenure, they inevitably face increasingly complex challenges. It's the nature of our field—the toughest problems land on the desks of our most seasoned professionals. Protecting your problem solvers While it's gratifying to hear, this praise can mask a hidden danger. Many underestimate the mental toll of constant problem-solving. When your daily view is an endless parade of issues, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything is broken. To prevent burnout and maintain a healthy team, technical leaders must actively guard the mental well-being of their problem solvers. Here are key strategies to implement: 💪 Empower them to say no: Encourage your team to communicate when they're overwhelmed. Create a culture where it's okay to say, "I need a break from troubleshooting right now." ⚖️ Balance complex problems with defined feature work: Alternate between debugging sessions and scoped feature development. This variety can provide mental relief and restore a sense of progress. 2️⃣ Promote pair programming: Share the load of complex problems. This reduces mental strain and spreads crucial knowledge, building a more resilient team. 🌳 Advocate for breaks: Resist the urge to push through exhaustion. Encourage team members to step away, take a walk, and return with fresh perspectives. As leaders, we must ask ourselves: Are we repeatedly tapping the same individuals for every challenging issue? How can we better distribute these tasks to protect our key problem solvers? While some thrive on tackling complex issues, it's crucial to safeguard their boundaries. Continuous exposure to high-stress problem-solving can lead to mental fatigue and eventual burnout.

Is today's AI-driven approach truly superior, or just a different means to the same end? When Strava launched Athlete Intelligence, which uses AI for personalized feedback, it reminded Andreas Creten of his time at Addapp Corp, the startup he co-founded almost a decade ago. They used data from devices like Apple Watch to provide insights, such as how a run could impact your sleep. While Strava now uses AI, the Addapp team were delivering similar insights with traditional data science, proving that sometimes, being ahead of your time is not always good. Addapp may have been too early for mass adoption, while Strava is riding a wave where the market is ready and the technology is more accessible. Ultimately, Andreas is proud of the work they did at Addapp. Seeing how ideas evolve, refine, and sometimes come back in new forms is fascinating. Watching how Strava and others advance in this space reinforces the belief that good ideas always find their way to the surface—sometimes, it's just a matter of timing.

Here's Andreas Creten and Jonas Drieghe talking about what's going on between Wordpress and WP Engine at the moment.

"Reflecting on work through retrospectives helps software teams improve by identifying what went well and what didn’t. This promotes continuous growth, stronger collaboration, and better performance." Our Emma Williams explains how you can get the most out of your retrospectives.

Would you like to have ☕ (or 🥨) with Andreas on Sunday in Munich? Reach out and we'll get you hooked up! #Bits24 #FoundersBits #BitsandPretzels

Will you be at B2B Rocks 🎸 Sept. 25-26, Paris 🎸 at STATION F? Don’t miss out on us having a chat about the challenges you face! (No sales pitch, no commitment… “no strings 🎸 attached”.) I’ll be participating in a panel discussion (”Prepare for your SaaS' Exit from Day 1”) on Thursday at 10:20 am. Hope to see you there! Need a ticket? Just reach out and get yours from madewithlove. #B2BRocks #Growth #SaaSevent #Partnership #Networking

The goal is not just to move fast—it's to move smart. Sometimes, the smartest move is to slow down and focus on what's important.

🔥We're happy to announce that Ventech has become the Community Partner of B2B Rocks 🎸 Sept. 25-26, Paris!🚀 🎤And Claire Houry, General Partner of Ventech will be taking the stage at STATION F, together with Andreas Creten (Co-Founder & CEO at madewithlove), Jeremy Blackwell (Director from Banque Hottinguer) and the amazing moderator Alison Murdock (Founder and Chief Marketer Trusted CMO), to share their exclusive insights on "Prepare for your SaaS' Exit from Day 1"! 🎤 ⏲ September 26: 10:20 AM - 11:00 AM 📍 Stage:  Founder's Café 🔥As the event partner, Ventech has a 50% Promo Code! Feel free to contact Yakun before September 20 if you're interested. Make sure to mark your calendars and join us for this incredible event. #ParisSAASWeek #B2BRocks #SaaS #Growth #SaaSevent #Ventech

In this edition of the Road Less Perfect, Mike Veerman explains that having documentation is vital, but too much can lead to outdated or duplicate content. To manage #documentation, consolidate everything in one platform, separate live from historical content, archive outdated ones, move technical docs closer to code, and encourage sharing links to foster a documentation culture. Try the concept of "answering all questions with a link." If you can't, you know what to do.