Latest Posts - Page 52 of 194

May 31, 2022May 22, 2022 Grow From Failures

A Stolen Car : Playing The Odds And Question Everything

This episode is a tale that shows us that we should question everything. Yes, even our assumptions. Actually, our assumptions first. We have so many sources of information available and yet we still tend to rely on only a few. Whether that is our point-of-view or intelligence gained from “reliable sources”, we give them too much credit. Everyone makes mistakes and resting too much on an error can be a recipe for disaster. Question Everything – Even Your Givens When we talked about anti-patterns, we saw that a lack of facts could lead us down the wrong path. This situation often came from a lack of reliable communication. We could also see it when the requirements were not properly or... Read more

May 26, 2022May 16, 2022 Grow From Failures

A Mistake In Choosing A Major – Prepare For Meetings

The first mistake I want to share in this season is when I chose a major in college. While I was young and naive, it still is a teachable moment to prepare for meetings. This incident was not my last mistake around meetings. However, it is a good launching point for those further discussions. The error covered here is also one that may set the stage for later mistakes. We will discuss those as the season progresses. Prepare For Meetings Large and Small No meeting is too small. That mantra can help you avoid all sorts of mistakes in life. I have found that we often discount a meeting or discussion, fail to prepare, and then wish we could get... Read more

May 24, 2022May 16, 2022 Grow From Failures

Using Failures To Gain Success – The Season 17 Overview

We start season 17 with an overview of what to expect. This season will focus on using failures to gain success. Too much is made of the road to success without pointing out the learning that got someone there. The stories of this season will hopefully provide more examples of how a failure or mistake was just part of the journey to success. The Source Of Using Failures To Gain Success Scott Adams wrote a book called “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life” that narrates us through many missteps on his way to success. There is a chapter where he lists a lot of mistakes and some of substantial... Read more

April 28, 2022April 18, 2022 Architecture Patterns and Anti-Patterns

Using Patterns and Anti-Patterns : Season Wrap-up

We end this season with a look at using patterns and anti-patterns throughout your work. The value they provide is obvious and costs little. We gain the lessons learned from others and have those available for our projects. Those experiences are valuable to us and jumpstart our solutions. Using Patterns Patterns are just that. They provide a recommended series of steps or an approach. However, they are not the solution. We need to use these tools as an outline or guide to building our specific solution. That means we may need to add or subtract from a pattern to make the most of it. Do not consider these to be hard and fast rules. Rather, review them and determine where... Read more

April 26, 2022April 17, 2022 Architecture Patterns and Anti-Patterns

Big Hairy Audacious Goals – An Anti-Pattern

The BHAG or Big Hairy Audacious Goals approach to vision or roadmaps is often recommended. The objective is to keep from limiting ourselves. The problem is that too much of a good thing can turn into a mental block or analysis paralysis. Too many options or too many tasks to complete is often overwhelming. The Big Hairy Audacious Goals Anti-Pattern Defined This anti-pattern occurs when the focus is on the overall goals or scope rather than what is in front of you. There is a difference between seeing a goal and being able to complete it today. While people generally see that difference, it is not always made clear. That can lead to a sort of “are we there yet,... Read more

April 21, 2022April 10, 2022 Architecture Patterns and Anti-Patterns

Rinse And Repeat – A template pattern

One of the most powerful and useful patterns I have come across is one we will call rinse and repeat. It may also be seen as copy and paste or templates. However, the result is a way to rapidly generate a lot of similar solutions within an architecture or system. The Rinse And Repeat Pattern Defined The essential piece of the rinse and repeat pattern is a similarity in approaching a series of problems. This pattern becomes apparent when we solve a problem and then move on to another very close in its structure. For example, the classic almost anti-pattern of a class full of getters and setters can use this pattern. You build a list of attributes, build out... Read more