Better ROI from Software Development Podcast

#204: Estimation - Professionalism

Published: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

In this episode, the penultimate episode in the Software Estimation mini-series, I want to discuss how Software Estimation works in terms of professionalism - and in many cases, surprisingly, the professional response is not to provide an estimate.

#203: Estimation - Is Artificial Intelligence the answer?

Published: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode, I ask the question, is AI the answer?

Following on from the episodes on Qualitative and Quantitative approaches, it's easy to see there are pros and cons to individual practices. And realistically, it feels like you will need a blend of various approaches to create truly valuable estimates.

But, this all seems like a lot of work and investment, a lot of training, tools and time to achieve. And even more so to iteratively improve to nudge towards those valuable estimates.

As I'll say many times in this series, producing estimates costs. Producing valuable estimates costs a lot.

Thus, it doesn't take much of a leap of logic to ask the question, can AI help us here?

In an ideal world, there would be an AI-powered tool that would just do the work for us. Thus, I explore how such a tool could come into being, and probably more importantly, why I doubt it will happen any time soon.

#202: Estimation - Quantitative approaches

Published: Wed, 12 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In the last couple of episodes, I've looked at a number of methods that fall under the Qualitative approach to software estimation.

Qualitative estimation is predominantly based on expert judgment, some think based on subjective thought process.

In this week's episode, I want to move on to discuss some Quantitative estimation approaches.

While Qualitative estimation is predominantly based on expert judgement, Quantitative is based on something we can count or calculate, a use of statistical analysis based on historical data.

In this episode, I specifically want to discuss two quantitative techniques - Monte Carlo simulations and Statistical PERT (or SPERT for short).

#201: Estimation - the #NoEstimate approach

Published: Wed, 05 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In last week's episode, I looked at a number of methods that fall under the Qualitative approach to software estimation.

Qualitative estimation is predominantly based on expert judgment, something based on subjective thought process.

In this episode I wanted to take a specific look at another method I personally consider a qualitative approach

But it's so different to those discussed in the last episode, I felt it needed its own, the #NoEstimate approach

#200: Estimation - Qualitative Approaches

Published: Wed, 29 Jan 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In last week's episode, I introduced two approaches to software estimation, Qualitative and Quantitative estimation.

Qualitative estimation is predominantly based on expert judgment, something based on subjective thought process.

Whereas Quantitative is based on something we count or calculate. A use of statistical analysis based on historical data.

In this episode, I want to dive deeper into the Qualitative and look at some specific practices.

#199: Estimation - Quantitative vs Qualitative

Published: Wed, 22 Jan 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode, I wanted to look at practical methods to help develop the team's estimation skills.

We cannot expect valuable estimation without investment. It's like any skill, it has to be practiced and refined to obtain a good level of proficiency.

So in this episode, I want to take a look at two approaches to estimation - Qualitative and Quantitative.

#198: Estimation vs the punitive target

Published: Wed, 15 Jan 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode, I wanted to highlight the emotional baggage that you developers may associate with estimation, and through no fault of your own, will carry that baggage into future estimation work.

In the episode, I look at the psychological scarring left behind from decades of using estimates as punitive targets.

Like most experienced developers, I've worked in organisations that turn estimates into punitive targets - where a well-meaning estimate has been turned into a commitment, and ultimately, a stick to beat the team with.

Now that stick has ranged from the aggressive to the passive, be it threats of dismissal or simply discussing the failure to hit the estimate.

#197: Estimation vs Dependencies

Published: Wed, 08 Jan 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode, I wanted to look at the impact that dependencies have on software estimation.

This episode was inspired by a blog post on scrum.org entitled "Eliminate Dependencies, Don't Manage Them", which I read while preparing this series.

In brief, the article talks about how you're better off eliminating dependencies rather than trying to manage them through normal traditional management processes.

In his book, Software Estimation, Demystifying the Black Art, Steve McConnell says that size of the software is the single most significant contributor to project effort and schedule.

Personally, I'd like to suggest that dependencies, if not of similar importance, are a close second.

#196: Estimation vs Planning

Published: Wed, 18 Dec 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode, I want to encourage you to mentally separate estimation and planning.

They are often conflated, which leads to confusion, distrust and dysfunctional behavior.

An estimate is generally part of a plan, and a plan can be the outcome of the act of planning.

Software development can't be delivered without planning, even if it's only the most cursory of activities.

Software development can be delivered without an estimate.

#195: Estimation - An estimate by any other name

Published: Wed, 11 Dec 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In last week's episode, I asked you to think about what the term "estimate" means to you, your team and your organisation.

In the episode I talked about different definitions that could easily be conflated - the amount of effort, a target, and a commitment.

In this week's episode I want to continue the discussion by looking at estimates "proxies" - what they are, why they can be useful and how to avoid the trap of confusing them for scheduling.

#194: Estimation - What are you actually asking for?

Published: Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this week's episode, I want to discuss what the term "estimate" may mean to you and the colleagues that you work with.

The term 'estimate' is often used interchangeably to mean the effort required, the target completion date, or even a commitment to complete the work by a specific date.

Often the meaning of an "estimate" changes between people within even a single team, let alone a organisations - thus it is often a cause of friction and dysfunction due to it being in "the eye of the beholder".

#193: Estimation - How much to invest

Published: Wed, 27 Nov 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In this episode I want to take a deeper dive into the cost of achieving that - what is the correct cost for the perceived value of the estimate to you and your organisation.

This episode continue on from 190 where I asked "Don't invest in estimates unless there are clear demonstrable value in having them"

#192: Estimation - Predictability vs Optimism

Published: Wed, 20 Nov 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

In the last episode, I talk about the short hand of a "valuable estimate" -  an estimate that is desirable for the organisation asking for it.

While what constitutes "valuable" will differ from organisations to organisation, team to team, and maybe even piece of work to piece of work, I feel that it will mostly be related to acceptable level of accuracy and precision.

Accuracy is how close to the actual the estimate was - which realistically can only be assessed after the work - and precision is how broad a range is acceptable - which can be defined as part of providing the estimate - and if anything also indicates confidence in the estimate - a narrower range indicating a higher confidence, a wider range indicating a lower confidence.

In this episode I wanted to talk about how Predictability is part of this conversation

#191: Estimation - what is a valuable estimate?

Published: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is part of a wider mini-series looking at Estimation in Software Development.

So for this episode I want to introduce the idea of a "valuable estimate" and what that may mean for you.

As I go through this series I will use the term "valuable estimate" as a short hand for some value that is desirable by the organisation asking for it.

This may seem a little vague … and to be honest, by design it is. I've spent a lot of time trying to decide what the best estimates should look like - but ultimately I feel it depends on a variety of factors - and is likely to be specific to an organisations - or maybe an initiative - or maybe even to an individual piece of work. We quickly find ourselves in the consultants stock answer of "it depends".

So while, in this episode I'll discuss to key characteristics that I believe affect the value of an estimate, the actual (or imagined) value of an estimate will be in the "eye of the beholder".

Thus the short hand of "valuable estimate"

#190: Estimation - Do you get value?

Published: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 01:00:00 GMT

I started the mini-series in episode 189 by providing the following guidelines:

1. Don't invest in estimates unless there are clear demonstrable value in having them
2. Agree what a "valuable" estimate looks like - this will likely be a desirable level of accuracy and precision for an estimate
3. Provide the team with training & time to develop their estimation skills
4. Collect data on points 1-3 and regularly review if you have the balance correct

In this episode we dive into "Don't invest in estimates unless there are clear demonstrable value in having them"

Estimates are not free – and I would argue that truly valuable estimates are often prohibitively expensive to produce.

Thus in this episode, I ask the question are you getting the ROI on that investment. And more importantly – can you prove that.

#189: Estimation - a review

Published: Wed, 30 Oct 2024 01:00:00 GMT

Back in January 2023, in episode  #160, "Revisiting Software Development Estimation," I made the commitment to revisit and potentially revise my views on software development estimation.

While I acknowledged the desirability of estimations for reasons like cost, risk, and planning, the episode recognized that these desires don't always make estimations attainable or accurate, particularly in complex or complicated domains like software development.

In 2023, I planned to research estimation techniques, focusing on their feasibility and implications in the software development process. This research would involve exploring resources such as online courses, books, and audience suggestions, with the intention of sharing findings later in the year.

This is the first, if somewhat delayed, in a series of episodes following that work.

In this episode I will provide a summary of upcoming episodes and how they fit together.

#188: Bad for ROI - More Developers

Published: Wed, 22 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Following on from the last two episodes that look at the dysfunctional and unexpected results that can from the seemly well intentioned call for "more planning", this week's episode takes a look at a similar paradox - the call for "more developers".

We look at why "more developers" does not generally equal "greater output" - the unexpected operational overheads that a larger team generate.

We look at some circumstances, when used with caution, increasing the headcount can be the right thing.

And we look at suggestion for improving productivity without increase numbers.

#187: Bad for ROI - More Planning - Part 2

Published: Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

In this episode, the second of two, I conclude the exploration of the dysfunctions and unexpected results that can occur from the seeming well intentioned call for "more planning".

In last week's episode, I looking at the historical context of why the request for "more planning", and explored the high cost and dysfunctions that can arise from over-planning.

And this week's episode, I'll continue the discussion by exploring the limitations of planning in the face of complexity uncertainty, and some approaches that can help us strike the correct balance.

#186: Bad for ROI - More Planning - Part 1

Published: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

In this episode, the first of two, I start to explore the dysfunctions and unexpected results that can occur from the seeming well intentioned call for "more planning".

In this episode, I will start by looking at the historical context of why the request for "more planning", and an exploration of the high cost and dysfunctions that can arise from over-planning.

And in next week's episode, I'll continue the discussion by exploring the limitations of planning in the face of complexity uncertainty, and some approaches that can help us strike the correct balance.

#185: Bad for ROI - Overemphasis on Perfection

Published: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 15:00:00 GMT

In the last episode I the dysfunctions and unexpected results of a "feature factory" within Software Development.

This week I look at what happens if the pendulum swings too far the other way - where an overemphasis on perfection leads again to dysfunction and unexpected results.

#184: Bad for ROI - the Feature Factory

Published: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:00:00 GMT

In the fast-paced world of software development, the “feature factory” model, with its promise of rapid growth and high ROI, can easily captivate businesses.

This episode takes a dive into why the the feature factory is so alluring - and why beneath the allure, lies a multitude of hidden dysfunctions and potential for long-term damage.

#183: Bad for ROI - Performance measurements in software development

Published: Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:00:20 GMT

In this episode I look at another practice that can be bad for ROI - a practice that may commonly be considered good or common practice, but is actually causing dysfunctional, and unexpected, results.

In this episode I want to explore the dangers of performance measurements in modern software development - how, while they are a useful and powerful tool, they are so commonly used incorrectly to disastrous affects.

#182: Bad for ROI - Bonuses

Published: Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:00:13 GMT

We all know that a heft bonus improves productivity. Its a management stable - dangle the carrot and good results just roll it.

But is that really true?

In this episode, I look at the negative consequences of using bonuses for motivation - once again, leaning heavily on the work of Daniel Pink and his book "Drive" to explore the idea of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators - and what works best with modern software development.

#181: Bad for ROI - RAG reporting

Published: Wed, 13 Sep 2023 15:00:07 GMT

Occasionally I record an episode exploring something that may commonly be considered good, or common practice, but is actually causing dysfunctional, and unexpected, results in modern software development - and thus would be bad for ROI.

This week I look at the RAG (Red Amber Green) status reporting and its impact on modern software development.

#180: Bad for ROI - the HiPPO

Published: Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:00:35 GMT

Occasionally I record an episode exploring something that may commonly be considered good, or common practice, but is actually causing dysfunctional, and unexpected, results in modern software development - and thus would be bad for ROI.

This week I want to introduce you to a strange beast, found way too often in our organisations, the HiPPO. While the term might sound comical, its implications in the corporate world, and our software development, are anything but.

#179: Does the manager still have a role to play in the modern software development team?

Published: Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:00:08 GMT

In this episode I wanted to explore what it means to be a manager for a development team - and more importantly in the world of diverse, cross-functional, self-managing, value stream teams, does the manager still have a role to play?
Picture this: You've successfully built a software development team that's as diverse as it is dynamic. They are cross-functional, self-managing, and entirely focused on delivering continuous value. You've assembled the dream team. But here's the central question we'll be grappling with today - if you've created this ideal team, what role, if any, should you as the manager play?

Could you have possibly made yourself redundant?

#178: Transaction-based costing - a wrap-up

Published: Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:00:58 GMT

In this episode I wrap up this series of episodes on transaction-based costing by looking at the common themes and revisiting some of my initial reasons for starting the series.

For me the key takeaway is the common theme of constantly rethinking our best practice and adapting to the changing landscape of technology, our organisation, and our markets.

#177: Transaction-based costing and Small Batch Sizes

Published: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 14:32:47 GMT

In this episode I continue the discussion on transaction-based costing by looking at the relationship with Small Batch Sizes.

I began by defining small batch sizes - the breaking of work down into more manageable tasks, which can improve the speed and quality of your output.

I then explore how small batch sizes play a pivotal role in transaction-based costing, promoting efficiency and cost-effectiveness by enabling more precise tracking and control of costs.

I also examine the benefits that come with this combination - enhanced agility for software changes, better predictability for improved financial forecasting, enhanced transparency for granular insights into cost allocations, and streamlined processes for reducing waste and improving value delivery.

And to wrap up, I talk about some the challenges of a transition from traditional methods and implementing small batch sizes.

#176: Transaction-based costing and Value Stream Teams

Published: Wed, 09 Aug 2023 14:58:39 GMT

In this episode I continue the discussion on transaction-based costing by looking at the relationship with Value Stream Teams.

I start by defining value stream teams - cross-functional groups that work towards delivering value from customer request to service delivery. I explore how they fit into the software development landscape, leveraging principles of lean manufacturing for better efficiency.

I recap the transactional cost mindset, comparing it with the traditional CapEx/ OpEx model - highlighting the benefits of a transaction-based approach for improving visibility and accountability for better decision making.

I then discuss the importance of breaking down organizational silos - examining the significance of focusing on the end-to-end flow of value in software development, emphasizing how transaction-based costing helps optimize this flow for better financial outcomes.

Lastly, I highlight how this approach can enhance agility and speed up time to market.

#175: Transaction-based costing and its relationship with serverless and cloud

Published: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:47:19 GMT

In episode, I discuss the relationship between transaction-based costing models, serverless computing, and cloud computing in a dynamic business environment.

I look at how this model offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness by allowing businesses to pay only for the resources they use - and compare this model to the traditional capex/opex model and highlight how the transaction-based model, combined with serverless and cloud, can lead to higher profit margins, better financial planning, and the ability to invest in other areas of the business.

#174: Transaction-based costing in Software Development

Published: Wed, 26 Jul 2023 15:00:23 GMT

Are you struggling to track the true return on investment in your software development projects?

Traditional CapEx and OpEx models may not be enough in dynamic environments. But don't worry, there's a solution!

In this episode, I introduce transaction-based costing.

By assigning a cost to each transaction within the software development process, you can achieve better transparency, tighter cost control, and a more direct linkage to outcomes.

#173: AI Coding Assistants - the future

Published: Wed, 19 Jul 2023 15:00:42 GMT

In this episode, I discusses the potential benefits of organization-specific AI Coding Assistants.

While AI won't replace developers, it can provide more refined and less generic answers, leading to improved code quality and enhanced productivity within the organization. By tailoring AI Coding Assistants to an organization, it can understand and adapt to project-specific requirements, suggest appropriate design patterns and architectural improvements, integrate with existing development tools and workflows, and contribute to knowledge sharing and onboarding.

#172: AI Coding Assistants - the potential negatives

Published: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:00:24 GMT

In this episode I discuss the potential negatives of using AI Coding Assistants in software development.

I cover topics such as:

• over-reliance and skill degradation,
• lack of creativity and innovation,
• false positives and incorrect suggestions,
• limitations with domain-specific knowledge,
• dependency on internet connectivity,
• adoption and learning curve,
• and privacy and security concerns.

#171: AI Coding Assistants - the benefits

Published: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:00:45 GMT

In this episode, I discusses the expected benefits of using AI Coding Assistants in software development.

These benefits include:

• increased productivity,
• code optimization,
• learning and knowledge enhancement,
• error detection and debugging,
• collaboration and coding consistency,
• code documentation,
• and code completion and suggestions.

#170: AI Coding Assistants - an introduction

Published: Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:00:43 GMT

In this episode I discuss the growing use of AI Coding Assistants in software development, particularly large language models like ChatGPT.

I explain how AI Coding Assistants can greatly improve productivity and efficiency for developers, with examples of popular products in the market.

AI Coding Assistants will not replace developers, but rather enhance their work.

#169: ChatGPT - initial conversation thoughts

Published: Wed, 21 Jun 2023 15:00:04 GMT

In this episode, I review last weeks conversation with ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI. I discuss the technology behind ChatGPT, its potential risks and benefits, and the ethical and societal questions it poses. I also talks about my personal experience with ChatGPT and my intention to use it for podcast scripting.

#168: ChatGPT - my first conversation

Published: Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:00:16 GMT

In this episode, I aim to explain what ChatGPT is and its future for a non-technical managerial audience - and I do this through conversing with ChatGPT.

I share this first chat I've had with ChatGPT - with a followup planned for next week to talk through my experience and initial thoughts.

#167: Password Hygiene

Published: Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:08:41 GMT

In this episode, I discusses the LastPass breach that occurred last year and how it has prompted me to improve my password hygiene.

I talk about why the breach has led me to move away from LastPass - and how it has provided an opportunity to clean up my password data and reset passwords for critical accounts.

I also re-emphasizes the importance of good password hygiene and using multi-factor authentication for added security.

#166: The value of certifications

Published: Wed, 31 May 2023 15:52:50 GMT

In this episode, I discuss my personal experience with Microsoft Certifications and their value in the IT industry.

I believe that certifications provide a wider breadth of knowledge that may not be obtained through day-to-day work - but is still no subsitute for experience when it comes to recruitment.

#165: Introduction to the Actor Model

Published: Wed, 24 May 2023 15:52:17 GMT

In this episode, I introduce the Actor Model as a Design Pattern that can offer faster and more efficient processing by managing state in memory.

I discuss potential use cases for the Actor Model, such as in online gaming and IoT sensors, but acknowledge that it is a different development model than traditional approaches.

#164: Design Patterns

Published: Wed, 17 May 2023 15:59:41 GMT

In this podcast episode, I introduce the concept of design patterns in software development and explain their importance in improving code quality and readability.

I give examples of design patterns in everyday life and emphasize how they can speed up the development process by providing tested and proven development paradigms.

I also highlight the confusion that can arise when design patterns are not followed correctly.

#163: Taking time for self care

Published: Wed, 10 May 2023 16:21:19 GMT

This is the first episode after a prolonged break - so firstly, an apology for the gap in recordings.

In this episode I wanted to talk about why I took a break, the lessons to learn and what I've been up to over the past few months.

#162: Recommendations in a downturn

Published: Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:57:57 GMT

As we start the new year, its not uncommon for organisations to looks at budgets and general expenditure - and given the current financial outlook, I would have expected many organisations to be taking the time to look at how best to weather the storm.

I've found that many organisations typically react with a combination of cost cutting and putting pressure on staff for "more" in such periods.

However like many "traditional" sound managerial practices, this cause dysfunctional and negative outcomes in the Age of Software & Digital - and specifically when it comes to any form of knowledge work like Software Development.

The problem we have is that these "traditional" managerial practices have become muscle memory - so ingrained with the managerial psyche that it can be a difficult thing to re-think.

In this episode, I want to ask you to re-think about 3 things in particular:

• Training and learning
• Doing less work
• Take advantage

#161: State of DevOps 2022

Published: Wed, 18 Jan 2023 16:16:53 GMT

This episode, I wanted to take a quick look at the 2022 edition of the State of DevOps Report.

I've talked a number of times about the State of DevOps report. I originally introduced it back in episode 13, and last year I devoted seven episodes, 120-126, to a deep-dive into the 2021 edition.

#160: Revisiting Software Development Estimation

Published: Wed, 11 Jan 2023 16:17:19 GMT

I've long held the belief that Estimation is the source of much dysfunction within Software Development.

However, with a New Year, I'll like to take this as an opportunity to revisit my strong opinions on the subject - are they still valid? Are there better ways?

In this episode I recap the understandable desire for Software Development Estimations, why I feel that its a source of so much dysfunction and my plan for the coming year to test and challenge my opinions.

#159: Gantt Charts revisited

Published: Wed, 21 Dec 2022 16:11:18 GMT

I originally discussed Gantt charts back in episode 62, but I found more history behind them while researching Scientific Management and Taylorism for episode 156. I originally thought to include this additional history in that episode, but it felt out of place - thus this separate episode to revisit Gantt charts.

#158: The Pitch - one-size does not fill all

Published: Wed, 14 Dec 2022 16:43:40 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why of the podcast. Over recent episodes, I've take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

And in this weeks episode, I want to explore the idea that there is no a one-size fits all approach to Software Development

#157: The Pitch - its not like flipping hamburgers

Published: Wed, 07 Dec 2022 16:46:40 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why of the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

In this episode, I look at why Software Development cannot be deterministic - why do have so many unknowns - why can't we make it as deterministic as moving pig-iron or flipped hamburgers at McDonalds.

#156: The Pitch - the management practices of yesterday

Published: Wed, 30 Nov 2022 16:51:00 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why of the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

In this episode, I want to take a deeper dive into the management practices of yesterday - where they came from and why they gave us success yesterday but are failing us today and certainly not fit for tomorrow

#155: The Pitch - the age and maturity of software development

Published: Wed, 23 Nov 2022 16:59:16 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

Over the last few episodes, I've looked at the business side of the pitch and how our organisations need to embrace changes as something they do rather than something that happens to them.

In this episode, I want to move onto the Software Development half of the pitch, and look at its age and maturity.

#154: The Pitch - doing change

Published: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:48:42 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

In this episode, I follow on from last weeks introduction of change, brought on by the current Age of Software and Digital, by providing more evidence of change - along with why change shouldn't be something that happens to an organisation - change should be something that an organisation "does".

#153: The Pitch - the Age of Software and Digital

Published: Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:50:04 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

In this episode, I wanted to talk about why I led with "Welcome to the Age of Software and Digital".

#152: The Pitch - lets talk business

Published: Wed, 02 Nov 2022 16:47:14 GMT

In episode 150, I reintroduced this series with a new pitch. It was my way of taking what I've learnt over the last three years, the last 150 episodes, and almost 33 hours of content and updating the why the podcast. Over the coming episodes, I'll take a deeper dive into the themes of the pitch and why they made the cut.

If you listen back to the pitch, you will notice that it is almost half way through the 5 minutes and 21 seconds before I actually mention "software development" - which might seem odd for a podcast entitles "Better ROI from Software Development".

In this episode, I explain why I devote pretty much the entire first half of the pitch to talking about the business context we find ourselves in.

#151: Mini-budget implications on contractor and permanent markets

Published: Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:22:46 GMT

On the 23rd September, the UK Chancellor announces a series of change during a "mini-budget".

The mini-budget, and its contents, have been the subject of much debate ever since.

What might have been missed by many people where the changes to the IR35 off-payroll rules - which, as I discuss in this episode, could have material impact on both the contractor AND permanent recruitment markets

Note: Since the original recording and release of this episode, the proposed reversal of the "Off-Payroll" rules has been dropped. This episode does still however provide some value with a description of IR35 and the Off-Payroll rules.

#150: An updated pitch for the podcast

Published: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 16:07:16 GMT

Welcome to the 150th episode of the podcast.

In this episode, I take a moment of introspection to revisit the "pitch" for this series.

#149: Legacy Data - advice for dealing with it

Published: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:13:54 GMT

Over the last few episodes, I've focused on legacy software - what it is, how it occurs, and various strategies to deal with it.

Alongside that legacy software is the legacy data - which is arguably more important than the data.

In last week's episode, I talked about why thinking about that legacy data is so important.

In this week's, I will provide advice for dealing with it.

#148: Legacy Data - why you should be thinking about it

Published: Wed, 07 Sep 2022 15:56:57 GMT

Over the last few episodes, I've focused on legacy software - what it is, how it occurs, and various strategies to deal with it.

Alongside that legacy software is the legacy data - which is arguably more important than the data.

In this episode, I want to talk about why thinking about that legacy data is so important

#147: Legacy Software - addressing with Outsourcing

Published: Wed, 31 Aug 2022 16:01:29 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen as a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

A few weeks ago, I introduced three methods to address legacy software:

• Evolution - continual improvement to the existing system to bring it out of its "legacy" state
• Revolution - the wholesale replacement of system with something new
• And Outsourcing - using a third party to either maintain or replace the legacy system

In this episode, I take a deeper dive into Outsourcing

#146: Legacy Software - addressing with Revolution

Published: Wed, 24 Aug 2022 16:53:36 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen as a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

Two weeks ago, I introduced three methods to address legacy software:

• Evolution - continual improvement to the existing system to bring it out of its "legacy" state
• Revolution - the wholesale replacement of system with something new
• And Outsourcing - using a third party to either maintain or replace the legacy system In this episode, I take a deeper dive into Revolution

#145: Legacy Software - addressing with Evolution

Published: Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:50:50 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen as a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In last week's episode, I introduced three methods to address legacy software:

• Evolution - continual improvement to the existing system to bring it out of its "legacy" state
• Revolution - the wholesale replacement of system with something new
• And Outsourcing - using a third party to either maintain or replace the legacy system

In this episode, I take a deeper dive into Evolution

#144: Legacy Software - how to address

Published: Wed, 10 Aug 2022 15:50:27 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen as a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In this episode, I'll introduce three methods to address legacy software:

• Evolution - continual improvement to the existing system to bring it out of its "legacy" state
• Revolution - the wholesale replacement of system with something new
• And Outsourcing - using a third party to either maintain or replace the legacy system

I briefly compare the three options and will dig further into each in future episodes.

#143: Legacy Software - a risk matrix

Published: Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:07:12 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In this episode, I'll describe a simply risk matrix that can be used to monitor and highlight how legacy your software products are.

#142: Legacy Software - the causes

Published: Wed, 27 Jul 2022 15:59:10 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In this episode, I'll talk about some of the causes behind how our software can become "legacy".

#141: Legacy Software - the impact

Published: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:34:31 GMT

This is part of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software - the term "legacy" is often seen a positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In this episode, I'll talk about the impact of Legacy software and why the software industry invests so much effort into addressing.

#140: Legacy Software - an introduction

Published: Wed, 13 Jul 2022 15:58:38 GMT

This is the start of a new mini-series looking at Legacy software.

The term "legacy" is often seen as positive - yet within computing it is a negative term generally uses to indicate the need to replace hardware or software.

In this episode, I'll give you an introduction to Legacy software.

#139: Automation - the higher value work side-effect

Published: Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:45:16 GMT

I've talked many times about the productivity benefits from automation.

In this episode, I talk about the higher value benefits we get from automation - something you could describe as a side-effect.

Automation gives us productivity - but not just to do more, but to do better. Automation gives us the opportunity to elevate the work carried out by our teams - ultimately leading to better, cheaper, more reliable, more secure software.

I look at common automation techniques and how they helps to free up our teams:

• Automated Testing
• Continuous Integration, Deployment & Delivery
• Infrastructure-as-Code

#138: Automation - the knowledge sharing side-effect

Published: Wed, 29 Jun 2022 18:47:32 GMT

I've talked many times about the productivity benefits from automation.

In this episode, I talk about the knowledge sharing benefits we get from automation - something you could describe as a side-effect.

I discuss how, to be effective, any new software developer needs to learn not just the technical tools and practices, but also the domain - the environment in which the software will operate.

I then look at how automation practices like Continuous Integration, Deployment & Delivery, Infrastructure-as-Code and Automated Testing can help provide that knowledge.

#137: Automation - the auditability side-effect

Published: Wed, 22 Jun 2022 16:00:25 GMT

I've talked many times about the productivity benefits from automation.

In this episode, I talk about the auditability benefits we get from automation - something you could describe as a side-effect.

I discuss:

• Why having audit data is helpful to our organisations
• How automation can help to provide that audit data
• How automation can remove a whole class of questions over manual access to production environments
• How automation can improve on the overly bureaucratic, and often harmful, Change Advisory Boards found in many organisations
• And how your auditor can not only help, but will likely to be keen to do so

#136: Automation - the security side-effect

Published: Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:23:11 GMT

I've talked many times about the productivity benefits from automation.

In this episode, I talk about the security benefits we get from automation - something you could describe as a side-effect.

I discuss:

• Reduced access
• Reduced manual interpretation
• Logs
• Controllable environments
• Automated security tools
• Signed software

#135: Infrastructure-as-Code

Published: Wed, 08 Jun 2022 17:28:46 GMT

In this episode I introduce Infrastructure-as-Code - a way of defining your Operation's infrastructure as code - an example of DevOps in practice with our Ops teams learning from our Dev teams.

Why you may be interested in this episode:

• For an explanation of Infrastructure-as-Code
• The advantages of using it
• And some of the common excuses for not using it - and how to address them

#134: DevOps Topologies - Working types

Published: Tue, 31 May 2022 15:56:53 GMT

In this episode I want to continue the talk about the team structures discussed on https://web.devopstopologies.com/ - with a focus this week on the topologies are shown to work.

The devopstopologies.com website is based on the work by Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais. I introduced Matthew and Manual as authors of the Team Topologies book in the last episode. The work is a pre-cursor to the Team Topologies book - and work that I feel stands on its own two feet - with a specific look into how teams should work together to gain benefits from DevOps.

#133: DevOps Topologies - Anti-Types

Published: Wed, 25 May 2022 15:59:22 GMT

In this episode I want to talk about the team structures discussed on https://web.devopstopologies.com/ - with a focus this week on the anti-types.

The devopstopologies.com website is based on the work by Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais. I introduced Matthew and Manual as authors of the Team Topologies book in the last episode. The work is a pre-cursor to the Team Topologies book - and work that I feel stands on its own two feet - with a specific look into how teams should work together to gain benefits from DevOps.

#132: Inverse Conway Maneuver

Published: Wed, 11 May 2022 16:06:42 GMT

In the last episode, I introduced "Conway's Law" - an observation of how our organisational structures influence our software structures.

In this episode, I want to talk about how we can utilise this law when we want to improve problems in our software structures - commonly referred to as the "Inverse Conway Maneuver".

Why you might be interested in this episode:

• A recap of Conway's Law and the negatives you may be observing
• How the same law can be used to re-organise our teams to improve on those negatives
• Ideas from the "Team Topologies" book which build on this to define 4 team types and 3 team interaction modes for improving the flow of our software change

#131: Conway's Law

Published: Wed, 04 May 2022 15:57:46 GMT

In this episode, I introduce Conway's Law, which talks about how our software structures will reflect the structures of the organisations that create them.

Why you might be Interested in this episode:

• Why our organisational structures affect software structure
• The history of "Conway's Law"
• The negatives that the Law can help us highlight
• And why the adoption of Microservices and small Cross Functional Teams helps to alleviate those negatives

#130: To Checklist or not to Checklist

Published: Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:10:57 GMT

This episode, I want to take a look at Checklists - when to use and when not to.

Much of this episode is inspired by the Sight Reliability Engineering practices that come out of Google.

Why you might be interested in this episode

• The value of a checklist
• Situations where it is appropriate
• And situations where it isn't

CORRECTION: During the episode I refer to "The Manifest Checklist" - this should have been "The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right" by Atul Gawande

#129: Handling Failure

Published: Wed, 13 Apr 2022 16:11:29 GMT

Failure in our software systems is inevitable - be it a failing hard drive, broken network cable, power outage, virus, or simply a bug in the code.

"Hope is not a strategy" - thus we need to think about how we handle that failure.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• The differences between how failures impact our traditional monolith applications and the more modern distributed application
• To gain an understanding of the terms like Graceful Degredation, Cascading Failure, The Retry software pattern, The Circuit Breaker software pattern, and Deadline Propagation
• And advice on how to find opportunities to use them

#128: Error Budgets

Published: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:09:32 GMT

In this episode, I take a look at "Error Budgets"

Much of this episode is inspired by the Sight Reliability Engineering practices that come out of Google

Why you might be interested in this episode:

• You want to understand what "Error Budgets" means?
• You're struggling to prioritise effectively between feature development, defects, risk and debt
• You want to see how "Error Budgets" can help you with that prioritisation

#127: System Availability - Service Level Indicators, Objectives and Agreements

Published: Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:47:27 GMT

In this episode, I take a look at how to measure the availability of our systems.

Much of this episode is inspired by the Sight Reliability Engineering practices that come out of Google

Why you might be interested in this episode

• How Google uses Service Level Indicators, Objectives and Agreements
• Why 100% uptime might not be the correct target
• And why "uptime" might not be the best indicator in the first place

#126: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about Site Reliability Engineering

Published: Wed, 23 Mar 2022 17:04:00 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those are Site Reliability Engineering practices that came out Google's efforts to handle massive scale.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• What is Site Reliability Engineering
• How does it relate to DevOps
• What correlation the report found in Site Reliability Engineering use

#125: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about Culture

Published: Wed, 16 Mar 2022 17:26:52 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those is Culture.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• The impact on Covid-19 on home working
• How culture affects the abilities for teams to weather change (such as the Covid 19)
• Description of 3 types of culture - Power-orientated, Rule-orientated, Outcome-orientated
• Which produces better outcomes in our software development and reduced the change of burnout

#124: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about Security

Published: Wed, 09 Mar 2022 16:59:34 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those is Security.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• The importance the report puts on Security
• The advice on how to get it right

#123: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about DevOps Technical Practices

Published: Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:08:53 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those is the DevOps Technical Practices of:

• Loosely coupled architecture
• Trunk-based development
• Continuous testing
• Continuous integration
• Use of open source technologies
• Monitoring and observability practices
• Management of database changes
• Deployment automation

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• Maybe you are hearing of these terms from your team and would like context
• Maybe you are considering some and would like to hear what the report found
• Maybe you a looking for ideas on practices that can help you move forwards

#122: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about Documentation

Published: Wed, 23 Feb 2022 16:45:58 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those is quality internal Documentation.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• The correlation of what the survey found to great software development
• Advice to improve that Documentation

#121: State of DevOps 2021 - What it says about Cloud

Published: Wed, 16 Feb 2022 16:34:25 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

The research provides evidence-based guidance to help focus on the capabilities that drive performance.

One of those is Cloud computing.

Why you might be interesting in this episode:

• The correlation found between Cloud computing and great software development
• The measures they uses
• The insights found into the prevalence of multi-cloud and the reasons for it

#120: State of DevOps 2021 - A summary

Published: Wed, 09 Feb 2022 17:09:04 GMT

The State of DevOps report provides excellent insight through rigorous analysis of its wide reaching survey.

I introduced the State of DevOps report back in episode 13 and in this episode I take a look at the 2021 edition.

Listen to this episode if you are looking for the justification "why" you invest in the effort and disruption that DevOps requires. Or listen to this episode to understand "how" the practices can help you produce better outcomes from software development.

#119: Shifting Left

Published: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 17:17:11 GMT

Long term listeners will have heard me use the term "Shift Left" - but what does that mean?

In this episode, I take a deeper dive into the "Shift Left" principal, why modern software development advocates it, and common places to find it happening.

#118: Running a bath - a deeper dive into feedback

Published: Wed, 26 Jan 2022 17:21:45 GMT

Many of my episode talk about an experimental mindset - have a hypnosis, try something, act on the feedback.

The timeliness and quality of the feedback has real impact on our outcomes. And I illustrate this in this episode through the act of providing our customer the perfect bath.

#117: Robotic Process Automation

Published: Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:03:24 GMT

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

Even with over 30 years experience, it was a new term to me when I same across it in the Tech Pro Unicorn episode (#114). Thus I wanted to investigate and share my understanding - and indeed, unexpected personal history.

#116: Low Code and No Code

Published: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 08:34:11 GMT

What is Low Code? What is No Code? How can they help us?

I touched on this subject during the Tech Pro Unicorn episode (#114), but had a lot more notes than could be covered - thus in this episode, I take a deeper dive.

#115: Build vs Buy

Published: Wed, 05 Jan 2022 16:39:59 GMT

Should you build or buy your software?

I touched on this subject during the Tech Pro Unicorn episode (#114), but had a lot more notes than could be covered - thus in this episode, I take a deeper dive.

#114: The Tech Pro Unicorn Podcast

Published: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 16:53:49 GMT

Back in October I had the pleasure of appearing on the Tech Pro Unicorn podcast - the first time that I appears as a guest.

The host, Michael Grace, and I covered a number of topics - such as build vs buy, low-code/ no-code and generally tried to put the world to rights'.

And with Michael's kind permission, I am re-playing the interview in in full.

#113: Security Briefing - The OWASP Top 10 - Part 3

Published: Wed, 15 Dec 2021 17:16:13 GMT

The OWASP Top 10 is the most critical security concerns for web application security as defined by the Open Web Application Security Project®

In the last two episode, I introduce OWASP, their Top 10, why it matters and who it affects - as well as introducing the first seven on the list.

In this episode, I talk about eight to ten of the list.

#112: Security Briefing - The OWASP Top 10 - Part 2

Published: Wed, 08 Dec 2021 17:03:41 GMT

The OWASP Top 10 is the most critical security concerns for web application security as defined by the Open Web Application Security Project®

In the last episode, I introduce OWASP, their Top 10, why it matters and who it affects - as well as introducing the first three on the list.

In this episode, I talk about four to seven of the list.

#111: Security Briefing - The OWASP Top 10 - Part 1

Published: Thu, 02 Dec 2021 08:21:24 GMT

The OWASP Top 10 is the most critical security concerns for web application security as defined by the Open Web Application Security Project®

In this episode, I introduce OWASP, their Top 10, why it matters and who it affects - as well as introducing the first three on the list.

#110: Security Briefing - Supply Chain Attacks

Published: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 17:19:35 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I discuss Supply Chain Attacks.

No conversation on cyber-security in 2021 would be complete without talking about Supply Chain Attacks. They are on the increase, with many high profile examples - such as SolarWinds.

#109: Security Briefing - Paying to be hacked

Published: Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:58:06 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I discuss why you would paid to be hacked.

When you are spending so much time and money putting security in place, it seem counter-intuitive to then pay someone to try and break it. But without that, how will you know if your defenses work?

I also introduce three ways of validating those defenses - penetration testing, bug bounties and red team/ blue team exercises.

#108: Security Briefing - Social Engineering

Published: Wed, 10 Nov 2021 16:19:10 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I introduce Social Engineering.

Social Engineering is a direct attempt to manipulate us into doing something that we otherwise would not. Its not a new technique, but the modern connected world gives social engineers more tools to work with.

#107: Security Briefing - Introducing Zero Trust

Published: Wed, 03 Nov 2021 17:10:23 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I introduce Zero Trust.

The traditional approach of security at the border is not longer enough in the modern IT world. Unlike the good citizens of Troy, you should "never trust, always verify" - you should have Zero Trust.

#106: Security Briefing - Beyond Passwords

Published: Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:43:02 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I want to follow on from last week's episode, taking a look beyond passwords.

We are rapidly moving to additional forms of proving our identity - be it something we KNOW, something we HAVE or something we ARE - and, possible more importantly, using multiple when doing so (MFA/ 2FA).

#105: Security Briefing - Passwords

Published: Wed, 20 Oct 2021 15:58:50 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on security, I want to talk about passwords.

Passwords are historically our ubiquitous method of proving our identity. In the episode I talk about what happens when you lose control of those passwords ... and how prevalent it is.

#104: Security Briefing - Getting started

Published: Wed, 13 Oct 2021 16:17:48 GMT

If you're new to thinking about cyber security, in this episode I give you my top 5 recommendations to address in your organisation:

• Patching
• Backups
• No shared credentials
• Single Sign On (SSO)
• Solution reviews

#103: Security Briefing - Why cyber security matters to you

Published: Wed, 06 Oct 2021 16:56:29 GMT

In this first of a mini-series on security, I look at why cyber security is so critical.

#102: The Theory of Constraints - Part 2

Published: Wed, 29 Sep 2021 15:29:41 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the Theory of Constraints as introduced in the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.

Modern software development methodologies (Agile, Lean, DevOps) place a heavy focus on the flow of quality work through the development process - and the continual improvement of that flow.

The Theory of Constraints helps us to identify areas of improvement within that flow.

Note: I originally recorded this as one episode, but have subsequently split into two parts during the edit. Part 1, last week, introduces the ideas of flow and the Theory of Constraints using a simplified manufacturing line example. Part 2, this episode, applies those thoughts to our traditional software development practices and look at how we may traditional have tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve those constraints.

#101 - The Theory of Constraints - Part 1

Published: Wed, 22 Sep 2021 17:46:00 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the Theory of Constraints as introduced in the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.

Modern software development methodologies (Agile, Lean, DevOps) place a heavy focus on the flow of quality work through the development process - and the continual improvement of that flow.

The Theory of Constraints helps us to identify areas of improvement within that flow.

Note: I originally recorded this as one episode, but have subsequently split into two parts during the edit. Part 1, this episode, introduces the ideas of flow and the Theory of Constraints using a simplified manufacturing line example. Part 2, next week, applies those thoughts to our traditional software development practices and look at how we may traditional have tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve those constraints.

#100: Project to Product by Mik Kersten

Published: Wed, 15 Sep 2021 16:15:08 GMT

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Better ROI from Software Development podcast.

In this episode, I introduce the second book that I would recommend to any non-technical CxO.

Project to Product by Mik Kersten joins War and Peace and IT by Mark Schwartz on the mandatory reading list for any business leader navigating the modern digital age.

#99: Value Streams and Value Stream Mappings

Published: Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:34:22 GMT

In this episode, I introduce Value Streams and Value Stream Mapping.

Value Streams and Value Stream Mapping, I believe, are exceptionally useful tools to help us understand what we're doing, how we are doing it, and where we can find sources for improvement.

#98: Open Source - Licences

Published: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:07:40 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Open Source, in this episode I look at common licences.

There are a variety of licences in Open Source - covering legal use and commitments you must abide by. Like any legal contract, its important that you understand what you're committing too.

#97: Open Source - the motivation

Published: Wed, 11 Aug 2021 16:32:37 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Open Source, in this episode I look at the motivation behind why it exists.

Why would individuals, groups and even organisations give up their time, their work, and their intellectual property for free?

#96: Open Source - Is it really free?

Published: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:48:22 GMT

Open Source is everywhere - in our software, in our servers, and in the services we use every day - and its here to stay.

In this episode, I give an introduction to what Open Source is, why its incorrect to think of it as free, and why there needs to be governance to protect your organisation.

#95: Software Application Speed - the Content Delivery Network

Published: Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:53:37 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - using a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

In this episode I introduce the Content Delivery Network (CDN); how it works, why you would consider it, and the concerns that may come with it.

#94: Software Application Speed - Caching

Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 16:04:32 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - Caching.

In this episode I introduce Caching - how prevalent it is within modern computing, why we use it in software development, the pros and cons, the dangers of staleness, and why its an important business decision.

#93: Software Application Speed - Website Performance Optimisation

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 16:38:54 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - Website Performance Optimisation.

In this episode I introduce Website Performance Optimisation - what it is, why we do it and how to make a start.

#92: Software Application Speed - UX Design

Published: Wed, 07 Jul 2021 16:27:04 GMT

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - User Experience Design.

In this episode I introduce User Experience Design, its subset User Interface Design and how they can help your users get things done easier, with less frustration, and greater efficiency.

#91: Software Application Speed - why its important

Published: Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:53:19 GMT

Speed of our software applications is rarely considered until it becomes a problem. In this episode I talk about why speed it important in all of our software application - not just the consumer facing ones.

#90: Finding a Search Engine Optimisation Expert

Published: Wed, 23 Jun 2021 16:18:35 GMT

Following on from last week's introduction into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), I wanted to provide my advice how to avoid the bad and the ugly of the industry.

#89: Search Engine Optimization - SEO

Published: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 16:07:03 GMT

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is seen as highly desirable for driving traffic to your website.

In this episode I address the myth of SEO being "free traffic" and provide my thoughts on avoiding the bad and the ugly of SEO advice.

#88: Eventual Consistency and the CAP Theorem

Published: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 15:44:53 GMT

Have you ever come across a website or mobile app that occasionally takes time to reflect changes?

This maybe due to Eventual Consistency - a side-effect of decisions being made by technologists over the CAP Theorem.

Import decisions that the business must be, but often aren't, aware of.

#87: The value of Meeting Agendas - an episode 83 follow up

Published: Wed, 02 Jun 2021 16:40:50 GMT

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients.

If you've not listened to it, it was an excellent interview full of wonderful insights.

So much so that I want to pull a number of topics from that podcast and look at them in more depth.

In this episode, I want to look at the value of meeting agendas.

#86: Using Video for Rapid Feedback - an episode 83 follow up

Published: Thu, 27 May 2021 07:35:54 GMT

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients.

If you've not listened to it, it was an excellent interview full of wonderful insights.

So much so that I want to pull a number of topics from that podcast and look at them in more depth.

In this episode, I want to look at using Video for Rapid Feedback

#85: Regular software releases - an episode 83 follow up

Published: Wed, 19 May 2021 17:51:56 GMT

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients.

If you've not listened to it, it was an excellent interview full of wonderful insights.

So much so that I want to pull a number of topics from that podcast and look at them in more depth.

In this episode, I want to look at the regular software releases.

#84: Service Level Agreements - an episode 83 follow up

Published: Wed, 12 May 2021 15:46:40 GMT

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients.

If you've not listened to it, it was an excellent interview full of wonderful insights.

So much so that I want to pull a number of topics from that podcast and look at them in more depth.

In this episode, I want to look at the SLA

#83: The non-technical buyer with Trevor Ewen

Published: Wed, 05 May 2021 15:56:47 GMT

In this episode I talk to Trevor Ewen about providing software solutions to the non-technical buyer.

Trevor shares with us his experience on who a non-technical buyer is, why he enjoys working with them, how they differ from the technical buyer, along with advice on how to get the best out of the relationship.

#82: No, being furloughed should not influence recruitment

Published: Wed, 14 Apr 2021 16:01:31 GMT

This episode is based on LinkedIn poll which asked the question: "Will you be judging jobseekers on whether or not they were furloughed during the pandemic?"

I talk about my own response to the question and explore reasons why a "yes" response may be provided.

#81 - Scrum - The dangers of misunderstanding

Published: Thu, 08 Apr 2021 08:38:10 GMT

Completing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I wanted to talk about the dangers of misunderstanding Scrum.

Scrum is deceptively simple to understand - but difficult to implement. It can be too easy to misunderstand or mis-implement Scrum; only to be left wondering why it is so recommended.

#80: Scrum - Stopping a Sprint

Published: Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:00:59 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at stopping a sprint.

Should you ever stop a sprint? And if you do, under what circumstances?

#79: Scrum - It will find your problems

Published: Wed, 24 Mar 2021 16:51:58 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at Problems.

We commonly struggle to raise and discuss Problems in our Organisations; but in this episode, I talk about how Scrum drags those problems into the light and actively encourages us to resolved them.

#78: Scrum - The team is asking for more

Published: Wed, 17 Mar 2021 16:13:56 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I take a look at the potential warning flag of the team asking for more.

While the team asking for more maybe a good thing, it can also be a sign of a problem in the team - and maybe in the management team.

#77: Scrum - Conflict

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:19:53 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at conflict.

We commonly have negative contentions about conflict; but in this episode, I talk about why healthy conflict is so important for our teams to produce the best work.

#76: Scrum - The Definition of Done

Published: Wed, 03 Mar 2021 17:20:33 GMT

Over the last few episodes, I've been talking about Scrum, an agile framework.

In this episode, I want to talk about the Definition of Done. The Definition of Done comes from the Increment description - the Increment being one of the Artifacts produced by Scrum.

The Definition of Done is a way of coordinating the team and the entire organisation on what completed work looks like.

#75: Scrum - Common Problems

Published: Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:51:06 GMT

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at some of the common problems I see with its adoption.

I discuss problems with transitioning the traditional Project Manager and Business Analysis role into Scrum, and dangers of using pick 'n' mix Scrum.

#74 - Scrum - Theories and Values

Published: Thu, 18 Feb 2021 08:25:44 GMT

Following on from last week's primer of the Scrum, I take a look at some of the theories and values behind the Agile Framework.

#73: Scrum - A primer

Published: Wed, 10 Feb 2021 16:52:46 GMT

In this episode I introduce Scrum - an Agile Framework popular within Software Development.

This episode serves as a primer for future episodes - in which I will dig deeper.

#72: To bonus or not to bonus

Published: Wed, 03 Feb 2021 16:21:40 GMT

Is a bonus the best form of employee motivation?

In this podcast I talk about the dangers of a bonus culture and how to think about it differently.

#71: Meetings - the good, the bad and the ugly

Published: Wed, 27 Jan 2021 16:44:22 GMT

In this week's episode I talk about meetings as they relate to Software Development - I introduce you to the good, the bad and the ugly.

#70: Making time for focus

Published: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:45:40 GMT

In this episode I ask if we are making enough time for focused work.

Focused work is critical to us to allow us to solve problems and do the most valuable work.

Do we need to think about the time we are providing for ourselves, our teams, and our organisations?

#69: New Year's resolutions

Published: Wed, 13 Jan 2021 17:09:01 GMT

In this episode I talk about the similarities between our New Year resolutions and major business initiatives; why we set them, why they are attractive and why they often fail.

#68: 2021 Predictions

Published: Wed, 06 Jan 2021 21:57:29 GMT

Happy New Year and welcome to 2021.  In this episode I share my predictions for the year ahead. With Covid-19 doing more to drive technical disruption last year than any of the leadership team, I expect the trend to continue. Listen to hear my predication on becoming more people centric, more security, IR35 disruption, cloud, and Microsoft Blazor. 

#67: Bad for ROI - The Silver Bullet

Published: Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:44:14 GMT

Today's marketing is full of the promise of miracle cures for our problems. Full of "Do this one thing to achieve amazing results". Full of Silver Bullets. In this episode, I talk about why there are no Silver Bullets in Software Development. Please note; I'll be taking some time off over the Christmas and New Year period.  Listen out for my next episode the second week of January.  Stay safe, Mark

#66: Practices applied - How I use them

Published: Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:37:18 GMT

In this episode, I talk about a recent software project and how I've used many of the processes I have introduced in prior podcasts.

I talk about how I applied them.

And how they fit together to allow me to develop software with confidence - minimizing risk and maximizing the ability to adapt.

#65: Bad for ROI - 100% Utilisation

Published: Wed, 02 Dec 2020 16:32:58 GMT

Having your team working at 100% utilisation is a good thing for ROI, right?

Software Developers are expensive, surely maximizing their available time is the best way to achieve ROI?

In this episode, I discuss why maximizing time is not as important as value to the end customer - and that focus on 100% utilisation is bad for ROI.

#64: Bad for ROI - Big Bang

Published: Thu, 26 Nov 2020 08:13:43 GMT

Doing "Big Bang" releases may seem like an effective use of time and people. They may carry huge prestige and bragging rights for their leadership. But are they good for ROI?

In this episode, I talk about the dangers they bring - from dangerously high levels of risk to reduced agility to respond to market pressures.

#63: Bad for ROI - The Rockstar developer

Published: Wed, 18 Nov 2020 16:53:24 GMT

We think we want to employ the "Rockstar" developer. We want the superstar.

We actively recruit for it - we even put it into the job adverts.

But is the "Rockstar" good for ROI?

In this episode, I discuss why I believe they are actually the reverse - they are "Bad for ROI".

#62: Bad for ROI: The Gantt Chart

Published: Wed, 11 Nov 2020 16:54:40 GMT

Gantt Charts are a popular tool for visualising dependencies for complex activities.

In this episode I discuss why the use of Gantt Charts are bad for ROI in Software Development.

#61: The UK Executive's attitudes towards custom Software Development survey

Published: Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:26:49 GMT

Through September I ran a survey to establish UK Executive's attitudes towards custom Software Development.

Unfortunately the survey failed to obtain enough respondents to be useful, but I want to share my experience.

So in this podcast, I largely cover how the survey was designed, how I promoted it and the lessons learnt.

#60: The Programmers Oath - I will never stop learning and improving my craft

Published: Wed, 14 Oct 2020 16:08:28 GMT

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take a look at the ninth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will never stop learning and improving my craft.".

I also close out this mini-series looking at the Programmer's Oath with some final thoughts.

#59: The Programmers Oath - I will produce estimates that are honest both in magnitude and precision

Published: Wed, 07 Oct 2020 15:52:16 GMT

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take a look at the eighth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will produce estimates that are honest both in magnitude and precision. I will not make promises without certainty."

#58: The Programmers Oath - I will continuously ensure that others can cover for me, and that I can cover for them

Published: Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:31:44 GMT

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the seventh oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will continuously ensure that others can cover for me, and that I can cover for them."

#57 - The Programmer's Oath - I will do all that I can to keep the productivity of myself, and others, as high as possible

Published: Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:55:06 GMT

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development. Please take the time and have your say at: https://software-survey.red-folder.com/

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the sixth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will do all that I can to keep the productivity of myself, and others, as high as possible. I will do nothing that decreases that productivity."

#56 - The Programmer's Oath - I will fearlessly and relentlessly improve my creations at every opportunity

Published: Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:04:25 GMT

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development. Please take the time and have your say at: https://software-survey.red-folder.com/

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the fifth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will fearlessly and relentlessly improve my creations at every opportunity. I will never degrade them."

#55: The Programmers Oath: I will make frequent, small, releases so that I do not impede the progress of others.

Published: Wed, 09 Sep 2020 15:57:41 GMT

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development. Please take the time and have your say at: https://software-survey.red-folder.com/

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the fourth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will make frequent, small, releases so that I do not impede the progress of others."

#54: The Programmers Oath: I will produce, with each release, a quick, sure, and repeatable proof that every element of the code works as it should.

Published: Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:07:56 GMT

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development. Please take the time and have your say at: https://software-survey.red-folder.com/

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the third oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will produce, with each release, a quick, sure, and repeatable proof that every element of the code works as it should."

#53: The Programmers Oath - The code that I produce will always be my best work

Published: Wed, 26 Aug 2020 16:12:05 GMT

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the second oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in episode #51, to explore further:

"I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: The code that I produce will always be my best work. I will not knowingly allow code that is defective either in behavior or structure to accumulate."

#52: The Programmers Oath - I will not produce harmful code

Published: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:46:12 GMT

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development.

I take the first oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, introduced in the last episode, to explore further:

I Promise that, to the best of my ability and judgement: I will not produce harmful code.

#51: Professionalism in Software Development - The Programmers Oath

Published: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:03:16 GMT

In this episode I start to look at professionalism in software development.

Software development doesn't have the same level of professionalism & accountability found in Doctors, Lawyers or Architects.

In this episode I talk about why it is desirable, but unlikely to happen.

And I introduce the Programmers Oath - an attempt to start the conversation

#50: Series recap

Published: Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:33:34 GMT

In this episode I provide a recap of the episodes since the last recap show (episode #25).

This episode is both a recap of the series since episode #25 and a good entry point for new listeners.

During this episode, I'll be summarising the key takeaways - and which episodes to listen to if you want more.

#49: Assuming another person's intent purely from their actions

Published: Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:05:22 GMT

In this episode I want to discuss how dangerous it can be to assume another persons intent purely from their actions.

This is a message I am seeing come up quite a bit lately.

And the more I think about it, the more I see it in everyday business work.

Both in how we perceive our teams and how our teams perceive us.

#48: Its not just about building the right thing - its also about building the thing right

Published: Wed, 15 Jul 2020 15:36:55 GMT

Over the last few episodes I've talked about learning to improve our individuals, teams and entire organisations to handle change.

In this episode I want to explore why it is so important to that we are learning to build our Software right.

Often the focus of our teams is to build the right thing - which is certainly important. But we also need to think about building the thing right.

#47: Deliberate Practice, Code Katas and Game Days

Published: Wed, 08 Jul 2020 15:16:22 GMT

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning.

In the last few episodes, I talked about;

• Why learning is so important to me personally
• Organisational Learning
• And how to support and encourage individual learning.

In this episode I want to looks at how the Software Development team can learn through a number of deliberate practices.

#46: Helping our teams with Individuals Learning

Published: Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:56:52 GMT

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning.

In the last two episodes I talked about why Learning is so important to me personally and Organisational Learning.

In this episode, I want to move onto talking helping Individual Learning.

#45: Organisational Learning

Published: Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:03:52 GMT

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning.

In my last episode I talked about why Learning is so important to me personally.

In this episode, I want to move onto talking about Organisational Learning.

#44: Learning

Published: Wed, 10 Jun 2020 16:05:50 GMT

In this episode I wanted to start talking about learning. Learning is one of the singularly overlooked concepts in running a business.

I believe every business is a technology business. For a business to thrive in the modern world it must be able to adapt and change rapidly.

That ability for a business to adapt and change quickly, comes down to how well the organisation learns

And when I say organisation, I actually mean every part of that organisation - be that an individual right the way through the organisation as a whole.

So in this episode I'm going to talk abut why learning is so important to me.

#43: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Serverless

Published: Wed, 03 Jun 2020 19:03:27 GMT

Over the current few episodes I am introducing a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery.

These are:

• Containers
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• And Serverless

There are "hot" technologies within Software Development at the moment.

They are helping Software Teams:

• Get Better ROI when spending on Computer Servers
• Improving the speed to market
• Allowing for more complex and ambitious solutions

These are technologies that your Development Team may want to use or may even be using.

In episode 40, I explained Virtualisation; a technology that makes the other possible.

In episode 41, I introduced Containers and the Docker Container format - a technology that allow us to achieve greater ROI from our physical servers, improves our developer productivity and increase access to the tools they need.

In episode 42, I introduced Container Orchestrators and Kubernetes; a technology for running complex containers based solutions; helping us to:

• Ensuring consistent load across our physical machines - giving better ROI through higher density usage
• Starting and stopping containers based on load - again giving better density and being more resilience to inconsistent workloads
• Self healing to avoid costly and embarrassing outages
• Proving a platform to allow multiple containers to operate as single system
• And automating many, previously, manual tasks

In this episode I will move onto the Serverless technology.

I will also close out this little series on "hot" technologies, by talking about them in the Cloud and the future of these technologies as I foresee it.

#42: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Container Orchestrators and Kubernetes

Published: Wed, 27 May 2020 12:40:43 GMT

Over the current few episodes I am introducing a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery.

These are:

• Containers
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• And Serverless

There are "hot" technologies within Software Development at the moment.

They are helping Software Teams:

• Get Better ROI when spending on Computer Servers
• Improving the speed to market
• Allowing for more complex and ambitious solutions

These are technologies that your Development Team may want to use or may even be using.

In episode 40, I explained Virtualisation; a technology that makes the other possible.

In episode 41, I introduced Containers and the Docker Container format - a technology that allow us to achieve greater ROI from our physical servers, improves our developer productivity and increase simplicity to access the tools they need,

Towards the end of that episode I talked about how containers and the Microservice architecture from episode 17 are logical bed fellows and are gaining huge industry adoption.

The downside to this however is a level of complexity brought by having so many small "parts" to manage.

While it is considerably easier to think about and develop at a small scale ... Linking them together correctly brings additional overheads to the big monolith on a single server setup.

To make this practical we need a Container Orchestrator - the subject of todays episode.

#41: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Containers and Docker

Published: Wed, 20 May 2020 15:13:06 GMT

Over the next few episodes I want to introduce a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery.

These are:

• Containers
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• And Serverless

There are "hot" technologies within Software Development at the moment.

They are helping Software Teams:

• Get Better ROI when spending on Computer Server resource
• Improving the speed to market
• Allowing for more complex and ambitious solutions

These are technologies that your Development Team may want to use or may even be using.

In the last episode I explained Virtualisation; a technology that makes the other possible.

In this episode I will introduce Containers and the Docker Container format - possibly one of the most useful advancements in recent years in providing repeatable and reliable software distribution.

#40: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining virtualisation

Published: Wed, 13 May 2020 18:12:06 GMT

Over the next few episodes I want to introduce a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery.

These are:

• Containers
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• And Serverless

There are "hot" technologies with Software Development at the moment.

They are helping Software Teams:

• Get Better ROI when spending on Computer Server resource
• Improving the speed to market
• Allowing for more complex and ambitious solutions

These are technologies that your Development Team may want to use or may even be using.

Over the next few episodes I will be giving an overview of what the technology is, how they help with ROI and why your Development Team maybe trying to convince you that they are a good idea.

In this first episode, I want to explain Virtualisation.

A technology that makes those others possible.

#39: Improving predictability in Software Development by asking the team to do less

Published: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:06:22 GMT

I find that quite often business owners and leaders desire a level of predictability that isn't being achieved by their software development teams.

The want reliable costs and timelines for the delivery of software. But the software development teams fail to achieve them.

In this episode I will discuss that, to improve that predictability, you need to ask your teams to do less.

I will also question if that desire for predictability is even an appropriate goal when talking about getting better ROI from your software development.

#38: The Covid-19 episode - Helping our unexpected remote workers

Published: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:52:32 GMT

I'm recording this on Tuesday the 21st May 2020.

At this point, in the UK, we have been under lock down for 4 weeks.

UK rules discourage person to person interactions as much as possible.

While we are able to leave our homes for work, shopping and daily exercise, we are encourage to minimise this as much as possible.

Where they can, businesses are being encouraged to work from home.

In this episode I wanted to talk about helping your staff with phycological safety and motivation.

This episode will mostly focus on supporting those that have suddenly found themselves unexpectedly working from home.

Most of the of the advice however is universally.

#37: Avoiding over focus on the short term

Published: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:18:40 GMT

I find that many organisations have a myopic over focus on the immediate term.

This over focus drives poor return on investment over the longer term.

In this episode I revisit the analogy of technical debt and how this is related to an over focus on the immediate.

I will also pull from the three horizons example from the book The Alchemy of Growth on a way of avoiding that over focus.

#36: Recruitment - Bonus Episode 2 - Feedback

Published: Wed, 08 Apr 2020 18:10:17 GMT

Over the last 10 episodes I've been focused on recruitment.

I had originally planned to finish that mini-series two episodes back; but then I gave you a bonus episode last week on the best hire you can make.

I recently came across a question online, and it fitted so perfectly with the recruitment series that I couldn't resist adding another episode to the mini-series.

In this episode, I look at feedback.

#35: Recruitment - Bonus Episode - The best hire you can make

Published: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:04:54 GMT

Last week I completed a mini-series of 9 episodes looking at various aspects of recruitment.

As I went through the series I decided I wanted to give you a bonus episode on recruitment.

I wanted to tell you about the best hire you can make.

#34: Recruitment - Getting the best and keeping them

Published: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:18:49 GMT

This episode is the final part of a recruitment mini-series; where I have been focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I think many of these themes are universal, I have, of course, been focusing on software development.

In this episode, I will close out this recruitment mini-series, with a discussion on getting the most from your new employee and keeping them engaged.

#33: Recruitment - Act quickly

Published: Wed, 18 Mar 2020 17:02:33 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I am focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment.

And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will, of course, be focusing on software development.

In this episode, I talk about the need to act quickly.

#32: Recruitment - Interviews

Published: Wed, 11 Mar 2020 17:05:41 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will, of course, be focusing on software development.

In this episode, I talk about the actual interview.

Interviewing an individual to gauging future performance is far from a fool-proof means of recruitment.

Unfortunately, it is commonly the only option available to us.

I'll provide advice, from my personal experience, on what works well and a few things that don't.

#31: Recruitment - Working with agencies

Published: Wed, 04 Mar 2020 16:52:12 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will, of course, be focusing on software development.

In this episode, I talk about working with recruitment agencies.

For better or worse, most software development recruitment is undertaken through agencies. While it is possible, and desirable, to attract potential employees directly, most organisations are not appropriately placed for this.

In this episode, I talk about how I engage with agencies for best effect - as well as touch on some longer-term activities that can help to reduce your reliance on them.

#30: Recruitment - Understanding worth

Published: Wed, 26 Feb 2020 16:36:25 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will of course be focusing on software development.

In this episode I talk about getting a good understanding of the market before you go into it.

Software Development remuneration has risen steadily for quite some time.

Dependent on the skills and experience your role requires, you may find that previous recruitment may not be an accurate guide to current market rates.

Blindly going into the market with a figure based on historical recruitment can quickly affect you ability to attract the best people.

Also, given that many organisations has a recruitment sign off process, having a eye on the market before getting any rates signed off can avoid recruitment stalling for lack of enough approved funds.

#29: Recruitment - Defining the role

Published: Wed, 19 Feb 2020 16:48:07 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will of course be focusing on software development.

In this episode I talk about the importance of defining the role.

#28: Recruitment - Is a permanent employee the right thing for you?

Published: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 16:36:19 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will of course be focusing on software development.

In this episode I ask the question if traditional recruitment, a permanent employee, is the right thing for you?

While the first inclination maybe to advertise and recruit for a permanent employee, it may not be the right way of getting that extra help.

And with the rise of the gig-economy and a shortage of skilled software developers on the market, sometimes you may have to look at alternatives.

I'll also talk about the alternative options such as using contractors or outsourcing.

#27: Recruitment - Should you be recruiting at all?

Published: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 16:44:24 GMT

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I will be focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will of course be focusing on software development.

Somewhat at odds with the title of the mini-series, I first ask the question: "should you be recruiting at all?"

I find many organisations are recruiting when they shouldn't be ... Along with more than a few that should be recruiting and aren't.

I believe our traditional management techniques would have us recruit to solve the wrong types of problems - which can often produce the opposite of the desired outcome.

In this episode, I will be looking at some of the reasons why recruitment may not be solving the right problem.

#26 Recruitment - A mini-series

Published: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:12:23 GMT

Over the coming episodes I'm going to take a deep dive into recruitment.

Recruitment is singularly one of the most important roles of management.

Our businesses are run and operated by people.

Yes processes, tools and a hundred other things can help, but ultimately it is the people that make the business.

So over the coming few episodes I want to talk about various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And while I believe many of these themes are universal, I will of course be focusing on software development.

In this episode, I will be summarising the themes that I plan to look at over the coming weeks.

#25: The series so far

Published: Wed, 22 Jan 2020 16:55:53 GMT

Welcome to the 25th episode.

I decide I wanted to use this episode as both a recap to the series so far and as a good entry point for new listeners.

During this episode, I'll be summarising the key takeaways so far - and which episodes to listen to if you want more.

#24: Mob Programming

Published: Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:58:33 GMT

In last week's episode I introduced the idea of Pair Programming.

A software development practice that has two developers working on the same thing on the same computer. One acting as the driver - the other as a navigator - with regular role reversal.

I talked about, while there is an increase to the developer-hours spent on a problem, the benefits of faster delivery, better quality, knowledge sharing and better team communications soon outweighs the cost.

In this episode, I want to talk about a similar software development practice - but much more amped up - mob programming.

#23: Pair Programming

Published: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 17:14:38 GMT

In this weeks episode, I want to introduce the practise of Pair Programming.

At first, Pair Programming can seem completely at odds with achieving returns from your software development investment.

Though this episode, I will look at the common misconceptions and why this is a valuable practice for ROI.

#22: Handling incomplete work

Published: Wed, 18 Dec 2019 16:31:58 GMT

In the last few episodes I've started a mini-series introducing some of the tools and practices that allow for the fast delivery of software and ultimately delivery of value to our customer.

In episode 18, I introduced Source Control, what it was, why your developers will be using it and the value it brings.

Following your development team saved their software code to the Source Control, I then introduced Continuous Integration in episode 19. I described how Continuous Integration allows us to find problems faster - allowing us to address them much more cost effectively and making Software Development much more productive.

In episode 20, I introduced Continuous Delivery. It builds on Continuous Integration and make the releasing of our of software as easy as a button press. Through automation we make our release process a repeatable, reliable, easy, non-event.

And then in the last episode I introduced Continuous Deployment which builds upon Continuous Delivery by removing the manual button press - automating the entire process from developer to customer many times a day.

In this, the final episode of this mini-series, I want to talk about how to handle incomplete work.

#21: Continuous Deployment

Published: Wed, 11 Dec 2019 15:35:45 GMT

In the last few episodes I've started a mini-series introducing some of the tools and practices that allow for the fast delivery of software ... and ultimately delivery of value to our customer.

In episode 18, I introduced Source Control, what it was, why your developers will be using it and the value it brings.

Once your development team has saved their software code to the Source Control, I then introduced Continuous Integration in episode 19. I described how Continuous Integration allowed us to find problems faster - allowing us to address them much more cost effectively and making Software Development much more productive.

Then, in the last episode, I introduced Continuous Delivery. It builds on Continuous Integration and make the releasing of our of software as easy as a button press. Through automation we make our release process a repeatable, reliable, easy, non-event process.

In this episode, I introduce Continuous Deployment.

#20: Continuous Delivery

Published: Wed, 04 Dec 2019 17:00:33 GMT

In the last few episodes I've started a mini-series introducing some of the tools and practices that allow for the fast delivery of software, and ultimately delivery of value to our customer.

In episode 18, I introduced Source Control, what it was, why your developers will be using it and the value it brings.

Once your development team has saved their software code to the Source Control, I then introduced Continuous Integration in the last episode, episode 19. I described how Continuous Integration allowed us to find problems faster - allowing us to address them much more cost effectively and making Software Development much more productive.

In this episode I introduce the next step in the process of getting that software into the hands of your customer - Continuous Delivery

#19: Continuous Integration

Published: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 16:38:28 GMT

UPDATE: I noticed after initial publish the order of the clips in this episode where very incorrect. I've now updated - apologies for any confusion.

In last week's episode I started a mini-series introducing some of the tools and practices that allow for the fast delivery of software and ultimately delivery of value to our customer.

In that episode, I introduced Source Control, what it was, why your developers will be using it and the value it brings.

Once your development team has saved their software code to the Source Control, what happens next?

In this episode I introduce Continuous Integration.

#18: Source Control

Published: Wed, 20 Nov 2019 16:13:22 GMT

In this episode, I want to talk about Source Control.

Source Control is a tool that should be available to your Software Development and at the heart of everything they do.

The aim of this episode is to introduce to you what it is, why they should be using it and ultimately why your are probably spending money on it.

This is part of a mini-series which takes us up to Christmas. I will introduce some of the tools and practices that allow for the fast delivery of software and ultimately delivery of value to our customer.

We start with Source Control in this episode, then move through a number of closely related topics to getting our software investment in front of our customer as quickly as possible.

#17: Monoliths and Microservices

Published: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:02:38 GMT

In this weeks podcast, I wanted to talk about how the size and complexity of a deployable piece of software matters to the ability to deliver value to the customer - and thus ROI on our Software Development.

#16: Technical Debt

Published: Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:50:40 GMT

In this episode I want to introduce the term Technical Debt.

The term Technical debt was coined in 1992 by Ward Cunningham to describe what happens when we fail to adequately maintain what he calls “immature” code.

I find technical debt a great way to express choices we make in prioritising our software development investment.

#15 - Monitoring

Published: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:46:22 GMT

In last weeks episode I talked about software testing - predominantly around automation to aid in flow of delivering value to your customer.

One point I touched on in the episode is that you cannot, and indeed should not, aim or expect to test everything.

While I can understand an expectation or a desire to test everything 100% - it simply isn't feasible.

Pre-release testing is to gain enough confidence to put it live.

The second half of that is post-release Monitoring.

And it is Monitoring that I want to cover in this episode.

#14: Software Testing

Published: Wed, 23 Oct 2019 15:21:17 GMT

In this episode I want to talk about testing, why it is important for ROI and what types of testing can be done.

#13: State of DevOps report 2019

Published: Tue, 15 Oct 2019 15:53:23 GMT

Back in episode 10, I briefly mentioned the State of DevOps reports as part of the introduction to DevOps.

In this episode I want to spend more time reviewing the 2019 report

#12: War and Peace and IT

Published: Wed, 09 Oct 2019 15:59:53 GMT

In this short episode, I want to introduce a book that I feel that every executive should read.

I started writing about how to get better ROI from Software Development back in 2016.

This was as a direct aim to educate the executive level on how to interact, with better results, with IT - and predominately software development.

Like many, I've felt that the relationship between IT and the Business had become dysfunctional - with neither party happy with what the other brings to the table. Both parties becoming frustrated with the other.

I've spent many years researching, writing and speaking on how to address this dysfunction.

And I really wish I'd had this book.

... To be honest, I wish I'd written this book.

I'm finding it a great companion piece to my own work and recommend it highly to any listener to this podcast.

#11: We need to talk about Culture

Published: Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:45:57 GMT

In the last five episodes I've introduced a number of terms to help us move away from the traditional software development practices.

In episode 6, I introduced the Minimum Viable Product as a way to rethink our traditional ideas of waterfall style software projects. I recommend using MVP as a way to approach the traditional problems of unknown benefits, unknown costs and unknown risks.

In episode 7, I introduced Lean as a backup to the mind set behind Minimum Viable Product. Lean's strong manufacturing pedigree stands out as a proven method of reducing waste, delivering faster throughput and ultimately value to the customer.

In episode 8, I introduce Agile as a complementary mind set to back up Minimum Viable Product. I introduced the Agile Manifest; the commitment behind much of the work in the Agile movement since 2001. I showed how the manifestos recommendations aligned with Lean and MVP.

In episode 9, I introduced the Cloud as a key enabled to support the adoption of Minimum Viable Product, Lean and Agile. I talked about the value that the flexibility of the Cloud can provide - along with the potentially market changing opportunities made available by initiative services the Cloud makes available.

And in the last episode, episode 10, I introduced DevOps as a set of practices and process that build on a Lean & Agile heritage. I also introduced the State of DevOps report as providing evidence that DevOps is helping organisations meet and exceed their goals.

In this episode, I want to take a step back and address some of cultural issues that these episodes generate.

#10 - Introduction to DevOps

Published: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 16:25:41 GMT

Over the last couple of episodes;

I've introduced the concepts of Minimum Viable Product as a way to think about software development to improve your return on investment.

I've then introduced Lean and Agile to provide background and backup for why that Minimum Viable Product mind set works.

And in last weeks, I introduced the Cloud as an enabler to Minimum Viable Product in practice.

In this episode I want to introduce one last term in this set of episodes - DevOps

#9: Introduction to the Cloud

Published: Wed, 18 Sep 2019 16:08:05 GMT

In the last couple of episodes I've introduced the concepts of Minimum Viable Product, Lean and Agile.

I believe these help us to adjust our mind-set to one more conducive to getting Better ROI from Software Development.

In this episode, I introduce the Cloud; which I believe enables some core practicalities that our new mind-set requires.

#8: Introduction to Agile

Published: Wed, 11 Sep 2019 15:24:23 GMT

In the last couple of episodes I've introduced the concepts of Minimum Viable Product and Lean Software Development.

In this episode I want to introduce Agile.

Along with Minimum Viable Product & Lean Software Development - Agile - along with Cloud & DevOps which I'll pick up in the coming weeks - provides a great introduction on how to get the Better Return from your Software Development Investment.

#7 - Introduction to Lean Software Development

Published: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 16:04:29 GMT

In the last episode I introduced the Minimum Viable Product.

I personally see Minimum Viable Products being related to Lean Principals.

I'll give you an introduction to Lean in this podcast - and where appropriate, tie it back to the Minimum Viable Product.

#6: Introduction to the Minimum Viable Product

Published: Wed, 07 Aug 2019 15:44:27 GMT

In my last podcast I talked about how you should be considering investment in software development as volatile experiments – and that they should be managed as such.

In this podcast, I’ll introduce the concept of Minimal Viable Product (MVP) a tool that can help you manage that volatility in an experimental manner.

#5: Thinking about software development investment

Published: Wed, 31 Jul 2019 15:33:26 GMT

In this episode I want to talk about how to think about investing in software development.

I see too many people thinking that software development is an activity with one outcome – success.

And with that I see funding being made to that software development with the expectation that it will deliver specific anticipated benefits.

I want to take you through why I think that mindset is incorrect and how you should be thinking when investing in software development.

#4: Why is software development complex?

Published: Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:33:24 GMT

Software Development is complex.

The problems it solves will always have a level of complexity.

In this podcast I talk about why.

#3: Projects are bad for return on investment

Published: Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:48:44 GMT

Projects are not the best way to get great return on your software development.
And in this podcast I'll tell you why.

#2 - It's not about utilization

Published: Wed, 10 Jul 2019 15:32:28 GMT

In the last podcast I told you that focusing on 100% utilization is the wrong thing for return on investment.
But how can that be?
Are we not taught that utilization means productivity?
Are we not encourage to stretch our staff?
To get the most out of the staff salary?
Are we not even told its a good thing to sweat the asset?

#1 - Why is it difficult to get the best return on investment

Published: Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:25:33 GMT

Why is it difficult to get great return on your software development investment?

Why is it that software development isn't keeping pace with your business?

You’ve tried to resolve it yourself; you’ve set targets, you’ve encouraged, you’ve cajoled, you’ve been driven half insane with techno-babble – but your tried and tested management techniques aren’t working – if anything they are producing negative effects.

So why is it so difficult?

Episode 0 - Why I'm doing this podcast

Published: Thu, 20 Jun 2019 07:37:52 GMT

Episode 0 - a brief summary of why I am creating this podcast series.