Software systems rule our world. My regular newsletter explores the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming.
Friday 7th July - Modern Software Leadership
In a recent blog post, I discussed Testing for Microservices, something close to my heart currently. I'm currently finding out first-hand, how often we get persuaded that the thing we're currently doing is the only way we can do that thing. It pays dividends to stop what you're doing and look around you sometimes...
---
Today I'm officially launching the countdown to my new course: Modern Software Leadership. The first group is currently planned towards the end of Q3.
The course is designed for leaders who want to become more connected to modern software development practice and get up to speed with the latest tools, techniques and organisational practices. Specifically, it's been created for those who:
* Want to work with development and operations teams more effectively
* Want a systemic and sustainable way to improve the speed and quality of software delivery
* Want better technology solutions without higher costs
* Have security concerns around the software supply chain
* Are struggling to justify the costs of more “digital transformation”
* Are unsure how to move forward with IT purchasing decisions
* Want to be able to negotiate more effectively with suppliers and vendors
The course will work in many of the techniques I've been effectively deploying for years including successful DevOps patterns, effective CI/CD, emergent architectures alongside newer concepts for better software flow including Team Topologies and other reference texts. If you want to get a flavour of what we will be included please look on the course page.
The course will take place online over three, three hour sessions in three weeks.
If you are interested have any questions then please feel free to just reply to this email.
Have a great weekend!
-- Richard
Test-Driven Development for Microservices
Published on June 26, 2023
 |
If you read Kent Beck’s “Test-Driven Development By Example” you will learn that writing tests first enables you to make sense of your design as you go. The book was written around the time of Service-Oriented Architectures but before Microservices were widely considered as an architectural pattern. Writing a monolithic application with classes and libraries… Read More »Test-Driven Development for Microservices
The Human Software
Software systems rule our world. My regular newsletter explores the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming.
Greg Wilson of Software Carpentry fame knows how to write a headline. His recent talk Cocaine and Conway's Law is a mine of brilliant ideas and books to add to your reading list. They talk invested me immediately through his excoriation of Mark Andreessen's "Techno Optimist Manifesto" as a part of the Peter Thiel/Elon Musk narrative - work harder and longer, fix all problems via tech. Conway's Law, for those who are unfamiliar is the implicit link between social organisation of a company and...
The Horizon Post Office Scandal is one of the biggest IT failures in recent times, directly responsible for thirteen of the wrongly accused taking their own lives after prosecutions were brought against them. There is a highly technical deep dive into the findings made by Computer Weekly in this incredible Corecursive podcast episode. It is worth a detailed listen if you want to understand how this could come about and what systemic failings caused it to be covered up for so long. Software...
Working in software you get to see some pretty stupid stuff. And I mean crazy, stupid stuff. Decisions that float down from on high from multiple disparate spheres of influence - sales teams, other business units or just vice-presidents with a Great New Idea[tm] or a pet project. The narrative goes a little like this - the important people get to make choices and us techies have to live with consequences them. Sometimes these decisions are on a whim, an industry hype, a desperate attempt to...