FeatureBoard’s Post

When building software / data systems, short-term actions often have immediate and visible results. However, the long-term consequences of these actions are not always clear in the moment. Slow feedback loops like this make differentiating "over-engineering" from "future-proofing" more challenging. As a result, most of those sorts of decisions wind up being judgment calls. That's why it's important to have strong team-level leadership. In addition to investing heavily in my teams, I like to provide them with a clear set of defaults or best practices to reduce the burden of this decision-making. I open-sourced Pragmint's best practice repository in case anyone was looking for some inspiration: https://lnkd.in/gM7TuBmX Bonus: you can check out our DORA branch to see how we're adapting our repo structure to clarify how certain practices support the DORA Capabilities. It's a work in progress, so much of it is still blank. More to come on that in the future.

I'm happy to share my latest blog post for HappiHacking’s Hacker’s Handbook called "Developer Types: Addressing the Elephant in the Room." (https://lnkd.in/dZqy6jVz) The post is Inspired by Mike Williams' talk, "How Not to Run a Software Project" (https://lnkd.in/dC9S5n4H). This article explores his metaphor, categorizing developers into Monkeys, Tigers, and Elephants. Each type represents a phase in product development, emphasizing their unique strengths and roles. Monkeys are innovative creators, Tigers are meticulous optimizers, and Elephants are reliable maintainers. Understanding these roles can enhance team dynamics and project success. You can read more here: Developer Types: Addressing the Elephant in the Room. (https://lnkd.in/dZqy6jVz) #SoftwareDevelopment #TechLeadership #HappiHacking

One of my biggest takeaways from Gene Kim's fabulous "Phoenix Project" was that the notion of "Unplanned Work" really sidelines teams' productivity. One of the key things that David Faircloth's Platform Engineering team does for Wendy's is tackle this head-on. The team does this with the concept of a "Patrol Person" that sits in their public platform Slack channel. This person generally works cards in the sprint, as everyone else on the team does; but with one exception: this person monitors when requests come into the Platform team. If the request is easy, this person knocks it out. If it is more complex, it may be that a card needs to be input into the backlog and prioritized. This role changes daily, so everyone pulls their weight, and has a change-of-pace regularly. This simple technique is key to the team's velocity and ability to "get things done". I've seen David put the newest person from his team to run patrol, to see all the things that developers request from them. This super-charges learning and onboarding. Sometimes easy things like this really work, and can transform the way work gets done. How do you handle #UnplannedWork? I would love to see some more ideas.

Are bottlenecks holding back your development team? Boost your team's efficiency with the BEST Framework. 🚀 This session explores the framework's structured approach to enhancing team dynamics and optimizing processes, offering actionable strategies to improve productivity. Advance your team's operational excellence. 📈 Watch now: https://lnkd.in/ePKfQbMU #SoftwareDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #productivity

How do you measure your developers’ code review participation? I like to put in a little elbow grease and break comments into five categories: - Architecture - Logic - Readability - Questions - Kudos The lines between these things are blurry enough that sometimes a judgement call has to be made, but the end result is a snapshot of how my team of developers are collaborating to improve code before it makes it into production. What questions do these categories help me answer? - Who is contributing to making software more maintainable? - Who is growing their knowledge of the business requirements? - Who is trying to learn and adapt? - Who is encouraging and motivating the team? Without making a subjective evaluation of comments, non-technical leaders can still find value in code review metrics, allowing them to drive growth in a tangible, measurable way. #CodeReview #DeveloperCollaboration #CollaborationMetrics #SoftwareDevelopment

What are the arguments for and against sharing code at large organisations? Seems to me that it boils down to Consistency/Efficiency vs. Coupling. Ideally we get consistent implementation of rules, efficiency improvements by not writing everything, but practically we see timelines becoming entwined, misalignment of team priorities, questions of ownership, funding/costing problems, release management complexity and lastly bugs. I don't think we spend enough time appreciating the effect and cost of Coupling. Thoughts?

Tired of Code Chaos? Modular Code Organization can be your Full-Stack Savior. Do you struggle with tangled codebases? Do bugs feel elusive and collaboration a nightmare? My latest article unveils the surprising reason why modular code organization is a GAME-CHANGER! The approach unlocks a world of: - Effortless Maintainability: ️ Say goodbye to code spaghetti. Modular code makes updates and bug fixes a breeze. - Scalability: As projects grow, modular code adapts seamlessly. No more rewriting from scratch. - Teamwork Harmony: Clear code structure fosters seamless collaboration. Work together efficiently, not against each other. Ready to transform your workflow? Get into this comprehensive guide and discover how modular code organization can elevate your projects and career! Read now: https://lnkd.in/dRDxkHp3 #FullStackDevelopment #CodeOrganization #SoftwareEngineering #TechInnovation #Productivity

Beyond Benchmarks 🚫📏 Benchmarking your culture? That's like comparing apples to spaceships. 🍏🚀 Your organization's vibe is yours alone. Let's dive deep into what makes your team tick with Get Space. What makes your company yours? Share your thoughts in the comments! Learn more at: https://buff.ly/3RlngIi #UniqueCulture #BeyondBenchmarks #DeveloperExperience #DeveloperEngagement

Imagine a flow state where you and your team effortlessly rotate roles, pushing code to production with ease. Write a test, make it pass, commit, and push. Rotate. Refactor. Commit. Push. Repeat. This is the essence of Trunk-Based Ping-Pong - a practice that makes collaboration not only efficient but FUN!

As engineers, we often find ourselves caught up in the exhilarating rush of pushing features out the door at lightning speed. Yet, amidst the frenzy, let's not overlook the fundamental importance of maintaining clean code. Just like a well-organized kitchen makes for smoother cooking, clean code sets the stage for smoother development and maintenance cycles. It's the secret sauce that keeps our projects running smoothly, ensuring readability, scalability, and ease of collaboration. Wrote this medium post, let me know if you like it #cleancode #engineering #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #softwaredevelopment