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Essays on technology leadership, AI adoption, architecture and developer experience, published continuously since 2019.

154 pieces · 2019–2026

The image shows a stylized road sign arrow against a backdrop that appears to be an asphalt surface with some texture suggesting it might be tarmac. The arrow is white and pointed upwards, indicating the direction of traffic or movement in that direction. The sign has a black outline and there are no visible texts on it. The style of the image is graphic, with a focus on the simplicity and clarity of the sign itself. 3 Oct 2025 · 6 min Simplicity in Code: A Lesson for the Modern Workplace (The Rules of Programming)

This blog post delves into the timeless wisdom of Chris Zimmerman's 'The Rules of Programming,' exploring its relevance to the …

This is a photograph of an office interior with a contemporary design. The space features rows of desks, each equipped with a computer monitor, a keyboard, and a chair. A few individuals are seated at the desks, working or using their laptops. In the background, there is a large window allowing natural light to enter the room, which has an industrial feel due to its exposed ceiling and concrete flooring. The overall atmosphere suggests a modern workspace designed for collaboration and productivity. 26 Sep 2025 · 6 min Get Back to the Office Before You’re Forced: A Developer’s Guide to Strategic RTO

Why smart development teams should embrace hybrid working voluntarily, and how to do it right.

This is an image of a coffee spill on a tiled floor. The coffee has spread out, creating a dark pool in the center, and there is a trail leading from it to a small puddle at the bottom right corner of the frame. There's also a single coffee cup lid upside-down near the spill. 19 Sep 2025 · 8 min Embracing Failure: A Key to Success in the Modern Workplace

A CPD review of Amy C. Edmondson's Right Kind of Wrong, focused on what changes when engineering teams stop treating failure as a …

The image depicts an indoor conference room setting. There are several rows of chairs facing a stage where a speaker is positioned beside a podium. The speaker is giving a presentation, facing to the camera, and they appear to be speaking or gesturing towards the audience. The audience members are seated in the foreground, attentively watching the speaker. The room has an ambiance that suggests it could be an academic or professional conference given the formal setup and attire of some individuals. There are also logos visible on the stage and walls, which may indicate sponsors or organizers. 12 Sep 2025 · 8 min Why Blocking Developer Learning Is Your Most Expensive Technical Decision

That conference you just denied? It might have prevented your next production outage. Here's why the ROI on developer learning …

The image shows a desktop computer setup with two computer monitors displaying code in a terminal window. The monitors are placed side by side on a desk, and between them is a keyboard with a pink backlight. There is on keyboard visible; partially shown in the foreground. On the left side, there's a wall with a red light emanating from it, which appears to be glowing on the desk and under the keyboard as well. The image has an overlay effect where two photos are superimposed, creating a dual exposure appearance. 5 Sep 2025 · 7 min Designing for the Modern Workplace: Lessons from "A Philosophy of Software Design"

This blog post delves into key principles of software design, drawing inspiration from 'A Philosophy of Software Design.' It …

A well-organized computer desk with a monitor displaying the time '09:40'. The desk has a keyboard, mouse, and various other electronic devices. The foreground features a keyboard and mouse, the keyboard has a colourful array of keys. 29 Aug 2025 · 6 min The Hidden Cost of Poor Developer Experience

Your £100k developers are operating at 20% capacity. Here's how poor Developer Experience is costing SMEs millions, and how to fix …

The image shows a wall covered with multiple sticky notes, each containing different handwritten text. Some of the visible texts include 'THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM', 'NEED TO COMPARE BOOKING TO...', 'CONCLUSIONS FOR A FULL COMPARISON', and 'TOO MANY TABS'. The sticky notes are grouped together, suggesting an ongoing brainstorming session or planning activity. The wall is set against a background that appears to be a whiteboard or board with some writing and diagrams on it, further indicating a workspace or project area. The image has a candid quality, as if capturing an unplanned moment of work in progress 22 Aug 2025 · 7 min Finding the Human in Software: Lessons from "Managing Humans"

This post dives into key leadership lessons from Michael Lopp's 'Managing Humans,' specifically tailored for the challenges faced …

This is a digital image that appears to show a computer screen displaying a stock market chart. The chart shows a line graph with price data on the left vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, suggesting it represents the historical performance of a particular financial asset over time. There's a secondary vertical axis indicating percentages, which might represent the change in value or return on investment. The top section of the screen displays what appears to be a candle stick chart, which is commonly used in technical analysis to represent price movements of an asset over a given period. Each candle has a body that shows the opening and closing prices for a particular time interval and wicks (or shadows) that show the high and low prices during that interval. The bottom section of the screen includes additional data with various metrics related to the performance of the asset in question. However, due to the resolution and angle of the photograph, specific details about these metrics are not clearly legible. The data is presented on a dark background with white text, which is typical for financial charts to improve readability against the often colourful market data. The image captures the screen from an elevated angle, providing a top-down view of the computer setup, but it's not clear whether there are any physical objects or people in the frame. The style of the photograph is realistic and unadorned, likely taken to document the information displayed on the computer screen. 15 Aug 2025 · 5 min The £100K Developer Who’s Actually Costing You £500K

Why your talented developers are delivering at 20% capacity, and how fixing it changes your competitive position fast.

The image shows a scrabble board with words spelled out using letter tiles. The words that are chosen highlight positive and motivational themes. At the top, the word 'TEAM' is completed with three double-letter tiles, making it the longest word across that row. Below it, the word 'SUCCESS' follows, with a similar number of tiles. On the left side, the word 'LEAD' is visible. The letters on the board vary in color, with blue, green, red, yellow, and orange being used. The background of the image is not clearly visible due to the focus on the crossword puzzle. There are no people or other significant objects within the frame of the photograph. 8 Aug 2025 · 7 min Leading with Ownership: Lessons from Extreme Ownership for the Modern Workplace

This post explores how the principles of 'Extreme Ownership' – a book detailing leadership strategies used by Navy SEALs – can be …

The image shows a smartphone displaying a digital interface with a padlock icon, suggesting that the phone is locked or protected. The screen also features a 'Sign In' button, which could imply that a user needs to enter their login credentials to unlock the phone. In front of the phone, on a wooden surface, there are objects suggesting a workspace: glasses, a potted plant (in the background), headphones with a cable hanging off the table, and a book. There is also a small amount of text visible at the bottom right corner of the phone screen that reads 'Secured.' The setting suggests someone's personal workstation, with a focus on privacy or security given the padlock image on the phone's screen. 1 Aug 2025 · 7 min The 5-Minute Investment That Could Save Your Company Millions: A Developer’s Guide to SBOMs

Why Software Bills of Materials aren't just 'compliance stuff' - they're your early warning system for dependency disasters, …

The image displays a computer screen showing a trading chart with various indicators and candlestick patterns. The chart is set against a dark background, which helps the colors of the chart stand out. The candlesticks represent price movements within certain time frames, often used in technical analysis to predict future market behaviour. The trading chart includes what appears to be a Fibonacci retracement tool, which is used by traders to identify potential levels of support and resistance based on past price actions. There are also other technical indicators visible, such as a moving average and possibly a volume indicator or another custom indicator on the lower part of the screen. The chart's design suggests that it could be part of a trading platform used by a trader to analyze the financial markets, possibly for stocks, currencies, commodities, or other tradable instruments. The presence of candlesticks and multiple indicators indicates that the user is likely performing technical analysis to inform their trading decisions. The image itself is a digital composition with no real-world context provided. It is meant to convey a concept related to financial trading and chart analysis rather than depict a specific event or location. 25 Jul 2025 · 5 min Why SMEs Fail at AI Implementation (And How to Succeed)

Most SMEs waste £100k+ on failed AI projects. Here's why they fail and the strategic approach that guarantees ROI.

The image shows a computer keyboard with a key labelled 'AI' that is highlighted in blue, indicating that it has been selected. Surrounding the AI key are other keys in black, and the keyboard itself is set against what appears to be a dark surface. The background is out of focus, emphasizing the keyboard as the central subject of the image. The overall style of the image is a photograph with a shallow depth of field, focusing on the immediate foreground area. 18 Jul 2025 · 7 min Your Competitors Are Using AI. Here’s Why That’s Good News

While your competitors chase shiny AI toys, you can leap ahead with strategic AI implementation that actually delivers ROI. Here's …

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