Latest Posts - Page 117 of 200

July 26, 2019July 21, 2019 Become a Better Developer

Book Recommendations During That Long Road Trip

Whether in audio form or the old-school paper version, books are an essential part of becoming a better developer. Better yet, they can help us enjoy life and lead to overall success. As we pause between seasons, it seems like a good time to go over a few book recommendations. These are reads that have had a significant impact on me. Thus, I share them in hopes that they similarly impact you. Reference vs. Good Read Book Recommendations A distinction I make in these recommendations is the difference between a reference and a good read. The formerly mentioned books are easy to pick up and read in a piecemeal fashion. They also are good to return to as the mood... Read more

July 24, 2019July 20, 2019 Tools We Use

Podcast Recommendations To Improve Your Life

As a podcaster, I am also a fan. I listen to numerous shows and have for many years. Therefore it makes sense to offer an episode of podcast recommendations. There is an enormous number of options available, but maybe this episode will help you find some good ones and sort through the noise. The Tip of The Iceberg The recommendations are by no means a complete list. The options available are as broad as the interests you and your friends and family may have. I recommend you browse through Apple Podcasts a time or two every year. You will be able to find some excellent shows to match your latest interests. In particular, you might find some shows that cover... Read more

July 22, 2019July 13, 2019 Become a Better Developer

Disney World Lessons For Product Development

A recent trip to Disney World was a memorable experience in many ways. However, as an entrepreneur, the lessons for product development approaches sparked a presentation. One of the mind-boggling parts of the experience was the way the culture has been built and maintained. There is a “Disney experience” ever visitor is likely to have. This experience is amazingly consistent when you think about how big that organization is. Thus, there are several concepts we can learn from their success. Brands and Product Development While customer service and culture provide lessons, we focus more on the ability to build and maintain brands. Disney World has evolved over the years to stay modern while maintaining its roots. The vast library of... Read more

July 22, 2019July 17, 2019 Become a Better Developer

Removing Solvers Block

In this stand-alone episode, we look at solvers block. This is what I call the situation where one can not seem to push through to a solution. It is not due to options that have not been tried. Instead, it feels like there are no further options to explore. Solvers Block Hits Us All We all have good days and bad ones. Sometimes everything falls into place, and we feel super productive. However, there are also days or even weeks where we feel like we are running in quicksand. Each day starts with the same problem and ends without a solution. This is not a situation that only novice developers face. Even the most senior and experienced of us can... Read more

July 19, 2019July 10, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

The AntiPattern Season in Review

We have marched through 31 examples during this antipattern season. Therefore, we have enough of them to step back and look at themes, bad habits, and commonalities. While it is helpful to know about the individual patterns, it is better to see the big picture approaches we should avoid. Let’s get to beating some dead horses. Communication Is Key We can do everything right and still end up down a dark hole if we fail to communicate. This recommendation involves vertical communication among staff and management as well as horizontal across roles. We also want to be sure that we have made context and our “why” clear as part of the communication. Provide a good map and give it to... Read more

July 17, 2019July 9, 2019 Common Anti-Patterns

Death By Planning – A Rigid Anti-Pattern

Death by planning is an anti-pattern that makes us look like lemmings. We make a plan, and then we follow it mindlessly. This approach can work for some projects like building a house. However, software development does not work this way. There are always changes and unknowns that we encounter during the SDLC process. Thus, we want to be able to adjust to those instead of staying rigidly to the initial course. Defining the Death By Planning Anti-Pattern The Sourcemaking site provides the definition we will use for this episode. It is lengthy, but this anti-pattern calls for that. [Click Here to See The Page] “In many organizational cultures, detailed planning is an assumed activity for any project. This assumption... Read more