Have you ever felt stuck or that you're not making progress towards your goal with the current approach you or your team are employing?

From a young age, we're taught the value of steady, incremental progress. The idea is that like a determined tortoise, we can reach our goals by moving deliberately in the right direction. But could there be a more efficient approach?

Before starting this article, I would like to extend my thanks for reading, and also my apologies to for not being able to write last week. It was a busy but enriching week at some training where I actually learned quite a few things, I will share them here soon so stay tuned.

I will today release this short article, and expect a longer one towards the end of this week.

Have you ever encountered professionals who seem to place importance only on a certain type of knowledge? It's a situation humorously depicted in this comic strip from CommitStrip.

While expertise is certainly beneficial, it's not always a necessity in the market. In the end, we need to ask ourselves the question if we are either “problem solvers” or “executing monkeys”.

The role of engineering professionals is evolving, moving from a sole focus on knowledge to an all-encompassing approach, represented by the “T-shaped” model. The objective is not just to build right, but to build what's necessary. This calls for a blend of product, technical, and interpersonal skills. For leaders, this translates into promoting continuous learning, cross-functional teamwork, and advocating for stepping beyond comfort zones, thereby cultivating a culture that appreciates all facets of everyday work.

What is your stand on the location where you work from? Work location seems to have become a complex subject for companies and employees in the last year. With an imbalance in the demand for local and remote work, the issue merits discussion.

Reflecting on my professional journey, I have had the opportunity to explore various work modalities. From my early days in on-site environments, savoring technical discussions around me, to remote work across different regions, embracing the nomadic lifestyle and thriving in multicultural settings.

Let's delve into this topic further in the article.

I currently feel like the odd one, out. It appears that many people are associating peer review in software with code reviews via pull requests. Do you also share this perspective?

Even before I transitioned into leadership roles, where coding took on a secondary function, I did not engage in pull requests. In fact, I haven't submitted a pull request in a professional context since 2017.

Let's delve into the nuances of the peer review process in this article.

Workplaces operate as complex social ecosystems, with dynamics that reach beyond our immediate coworkers and supervisors to include a broader network of relationships. These secondary connections, which are frequently underestimated, are vital to personal success and the overall effectiveness of an organization.

Have you ever thought about how to manage these second level relationships? This post aims to delve into the concept of second level relations at work and their significance.

This past year, the buzz word in technology has undeniably been "AI". But what exactly do we mean when we say AI?

Often, our comprehension of terms and definitions can be clouded due to the ambiguity in the language used. A prime example is the term "Artificial Intelligence" (AI). This term used to encompass a broad spectrum of technologies, but recently, it has become largely associated with Large Language Models (LLMs).

How much time do you or your team spend on the day to day vs. planing the future? .

I would tend to think that for most this is not a binary situation, as we need to be able to have a plan and deliver on it. For this, we require practicing and intentionally using different types of mindsets. Let’s delve into this deeper in this article.

When you contemplate the structure and effectiveness of your software departments, the concept of product teams and the strategy of vertical slicing emerge as pivotal part of the journey.

These methodologies can revolutionize the way products are developed and maintained, directly impacting their success and the adaptiveness of the organization. This post aims to explore the essence of product teams, their significance, and the practical steps to implement vertical slicing within those teams.

Raise your hand 🖐️ if you recognize this meme:

Do you agree with it? I generally do. In today's fast-changing tech world, it's easy to get lost in the 'rules' of coding.

It's important that we occasionally stop and rethink our methods—not to reduce the importance of solid coding principles, but to make sure our efforts align with the broader goals of our projects and companies.

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Have you ever read Conway's law before:

Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.

— Melvin E. Conway, How Do Committees Invent?

And considered how it relates to your experience upon entering a new organization and seeing its entire architecture? We will explore the different levels where Conway's law impacts and how to mitigate its effects if desired.