In our Culture and Methodologies category, dive into Agile, career development, team management, and methodologies such as Waterfall, Lean, and Kanban. Whether you're looking for tips on how to integrate Scrum theory into your team's Agile practices or you need help prepping for your next interview, our resources can help set you up for success.
The Agile methodology is a project management approach that breaks larger projects into several phases. It is a process of planning, executing, and evaluating with stakeholders. Our resources provide information on processes and tools, documentation, customer collaboration, and adjustments to make when planning meetings.
There are several paths to starting a career in software development, including the more non-traditional routes that are now more accessible than ever. Whether you're interested in front-end, back-end, or full-stack development, we offer more than 10,000 resources that can help you grow your current career or *develop* a new one.
Agile, Waterfall, and Lean are just a few of the project-centric methodologies for software development that you'll find in this Zone. Whether your team is focused on goals like achieving greater speed, having well-defined project scopes, or using fewer resources, the approach you adopt will offer clear guidelines to help structure your team's work. In this Zone, you'll find resources on user stories, implementation examples, and more to help you decide which methodology is the best fit and apply it in your development practices.
Development team management involves a combination of technical leadership, project management, and the ability to grow and nurture a team. These skills have never been more important, especially with the rise of remote work both across industries and around the world. The ability to delegate decision-making is key to team engagement. Review our inventory of tutorials, interviews, and first-hand accounts of improving the team dynamic.
Kubernetes in the Enterprise
Kubernetes: it’s everywhere. To fully capture or articulate the prevalence and far-reaching impacts of this monumental platform is no small task — from its initial aims to manage and orchestrate containers to the more nuanced techniques to scale deployments, leverage data and AI/ML capabilities, and manage observability and performance — it’s no wonder we, DZone, research and cover the Kubernetes ecosystem at great lengths each year.In our 2023 Kubernetes in the Enterprise Trend Report, we further dive into Kubernetes over the last year, its core usages as well as emerging trends (and challenges), and what these all mean for our developer and tech community. Featured in this report are actionable observations from our original research, expert content written by members of the DZone Community, and other helpful resources to help you go forth in your organizations, projects, and repos with deeper knowledge of and skills for using Kubernetes.
Conflict Management in Technology Teams: Insights From Google's Project Aristotle
Executive engineers are crucial in directing a technology-driven organization’s strategic direction and technological innovation. As a staff engineer, it is essential to understand the significance of executive engineering. It goes beyond recognizing the hierarchy within an engineering department to appreciating the profound impact these roles have on individual contributors’ day-to-day technical work and long-term career development. Staff engineers are deep technical experts who focus on solving complex technical challenges and defining architectural pathways for projects. However, their success is closely linked to the broader engineering strategy set by the executive team. This strategy determines staff engineers' priorities, technologies, and methodologies. Therefore, aligning executive decisions and technical implementation is essential for the engineering team to function effectively and efficiently. Executive engineers, such as Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and Vice Presidents (VPs) of Engineering, extend beyond mere technical oversight; they embody the bridge between cutting-edge engineering practices and business outcomes. They are tasked with anticipating technological trends and aligning them with the business’s needs and market demands. In doing so, they ensure that the engineering teams are not just functional but are proactive agents of innovation and growth. For staff engineers, the strategies and decisions made at the executive level deeply influence their work environment, the tools they use, the scope of their projects, and their approach to innovation. Thus, understanding and engaging with executive engineering is essential for staff engineers who aspire to contribute significantly to their organizations and potentially advance into leadership roles. In this dynamic, the relationship between staff and executive engineers becomes a critical axis around which much of the company’s success revolves. This introduction aims to explore why executive engineering is vital from the staff engineer’s perspective and how it shapes an organization's technological and operational landscape. Hierarchal Structure of Engineering Roles In the hierarchical structure of engineering roles, understanding each position’s unique responsibilities and contributions—staff engineer, engineering manager, and engineering executive—is crucial for effective career progression and organizational success. Staff Engineers are primarily responsible for high-level technical problem-solving and creating architectural blueprints. They guide projects technically but usually only indirectly manage people. Engineering Managers oversee teams, focusing on managing personnel and ensuring that projects align with the organizational goals. They act as the bridge between the technical team and the broader business objectives. Engineering Executives, such as CTOs or VPs of Engineering, shape the strategic vision of the technology department and ensure its alignment with the company’s overarching goals. They are responsible for high-level decisions about the direction of technology and infrastructure, often dealing with cross-departmental coordination and external business concerns. The connection between a staff engineer and an engineering executive is pivotal in crafting and executing an effective strategy. While executives set the strategic direction, staff engineers are instrumental in grounding this strategy with their deep technical expertise and practical insights. This collaboration ensures that the strategic initiatives are visionary and technically feasible, enabling the organization to innovate while maintaining robust operational standards. The Engineering Executive’s Primer: Impactful Technical Leadership Will Larson’s book, The Engineering Executive’s Primer: Impactful Technical Leadership, is an essential guide for those aspiring to or currently in engineering leadership roles. With his extensive experience as a CTO, Larson offers a roadmap from securing an executive position to mastering the complexities of technical and strategic leadership in engineering. Key Insights From the Book Transitioning to Leadership Larson discusses the nuances of obtaining an engineering executive role, from negotiation to the critical first steps post-hire. This guidance is vital for engineers transitioning from technical to executive positions, helping them avoid common pitfalls. Strategic Planning and Communication The book outlines how to run engineering planning processes and maintain clear organizational communication effectively. These skills are essential for aligning various engineering activities with company goals and facilitating inter-departmental collaboration. Operational Excellence Larson delves into managing crucial meetings, performance management systems, and new engineers’ strategic hiring and onboarding. These processes are fundamental to maintaining a productive engineering team and fostering a high-performance culture. Personal Management Understanding the importance of managing one’s priorities and energy is another book focus, which is often overlooked in technical fields. Larson provides strategies for staying effective and resilient in the face of challenges. Navigational Tools for Executive Challenges From mergers and acquisitions to interacting with CEOs and peer executives, the book provides insights into the broader corporate interactions an engineering executive will navigate. Conclusion The engineering executive’s role is pivotal in setting a vision that integrates with the organization’s strategic objectives. Still, the symbiotic relationship with staff engineers brings this vision to fruition. Larson’s The Engineering Executive’s Primer is an invaluable resource for engineers at all levels, especially those aiming to bridge the gap between deep technical expertise and impactful leadership. Through this primer, engineering leaders can learn to manage, inspire, and drive technological innovation within their companies.
TL; DR: Scrum Master Interview Questions on Creating Value With Scrum If you are looking to fill a position for a Scrum Master (or agile coach) in your organization, you may find the following 12th set of the Scrum Master interview questions useful to identify the right candidate. They are derived from my eighteen years of practical experience with XP as well as Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master as well as interviewing dozens of Scrum Master candidates on behalf of my clients. So far, this Scrum Master interview guide has been downloaded more than 27,000 times. Scrum Master Interview Questions: How We Organized Questions and Answers Scrum has proven time and again to be the most popular framework for software development. Given that software is eating the world, a seasoned Scrum Master is even nowadays, given the frosty economic climate of Spring 2024, in high demand. And that demand causes the market entry of new professionals from other project management branches, probably believing that reading one or two Scrum books will be sufficient, which makes any Scrum Master interview a challenging task. The Scrum Master Interview Questions ebook provides both questions as well as guidance on the range of suitable answers. These should allow an interviewer to dive deep into a candidate’s understanding of Scrum and her agile mindset. However, please note: The answers reflect the personal experience of the authors and may not be valid for every organization: what works for organization A may not work in organization B. There are no suitable multiple-choice questions to identify a candidate’s agile mindset, given the complexity of applying “Agile” to any organization. The authors share a holistic view of agile practices: Agility covers the whole arch from product vision (our grand idea on how to improve mankind’s fate) to product discovery (what to build) plus product delivery (how to build it). Creating Value as a Scrum Master The following questions and responses are designed to draw out a nuanced understanding of a candidate’s experience and skills in applying agile product development principles to improve customer value and economics of delivery and enhance predictability in various organizational contexts to address the current economic climate: Question 74: Resistant Industries How have you tailored Scrum practices to elevate customer value, particularly in industries resistant to Agile practices? Background: This question probes the candidate’s ability to adapt Scrum principles to sectors where Agile is not the norm, emphasizing customer-centric product development. It seeks insights into the candidate’s innovative application of Scrum to foster customer engagement and satisfaction, even in challenging environments. It is also an opportunity for the candidate to build confidence in the interview process and rapport with the interviewers. Acceptable Answer: An excellent response would detail a scenario where the candidate navigated resistance by demonstrating Agile’s benefits through small-scale pilot projects or workshops. They would probably even describe specific adjustments to Scrum events or artifacts to align with industry-specific constraints, culminating in enhanced customer feedback loops and ultimately leading to product features that directly addressed customer pain points. Question 75: Reducing Product Costs Please describe a scenario in which you significantly reduced production costs through strategic Scrum application without compromising the product’s quality. Background: This delves into the candidate’s proficiency in supporting the optimization of a team’s capacity allocation and streamlining workflows within the Scrum framework to cut costs. It’s about balancing maintaining high-quality standards and achieving cost effectiveness through Agile practices. Acceptable Answer: Look for a narrative where the candidate identifies wasteful practices or bottlenecks in the development process and implements targeted Scrum practices to address them. Examples include refining the Product Backlog to focus on high-impact features, improving cross-functional collaboration to reduce dependencies, or leveraging automated testing to speed up lead time while preserving quality standards. The answer should highlight the candidate’s analytical problem-solving approach and ability to help the team accept a cost-conscious entrepreneurial stance to solving customer problems without sacrificing quality. Question 76: Improving Predictability in a Volatile Market Please share an experience where you used Scrum to improve predictability in product delivery in a highly volatile market. Background: This question explores the candidate’s capability to use Scrum to enhance delivery predictability amidst market fluctuations. It’s about leveraging Agile’s flexibility to adapt to changing priorities while maintaining a steady pace of delivery. Acceptable Answer: The candidate should recount an instance where they utilized Scrum artifacts and events to better forecast delivery timelines in a shifting landscape. This example might involve adjusting Sprint lengths, prioritizing Product Backlog items more dynamically, or involving closer stakeholder engagement to reassess priorities during Sprint Reviews or other alignment-creating opportunities, for example, User Story Mapping sessions. The story should underscore their strategic thinking in balancing flexibility with predictability and their communication skills in setting realistic expectations with stakeholders. Question 77: Successfully Promoting Scrum Despite Skepticism How have you promoted the value of Scrum in organizations where the leadership and middle management met Agile practices with skepticism? Background: This question examines the candidate’s ability to champion Scrum in environments resistant to change. Such an environment requires a deep understanding of Agile principles and strong advocacy and education skills. Acceptable Answer: Successful candidates will describe a multifaceted strategy that includes educating leadership on Agile benefits, organizing interactive workshops to demystify Scrum practices, and securing quick wins to demonstrate value. They might also discuss establishing a community of practice to sustain Agile learning and sharing success stories to build momentum. The answer should reflect their perseverance, persuasive communication, and their role as a change agent. (Learn more about successful stakeholder communication tactics during transformations here.) Question 78: Effective Change Please describe your approach to conducting effective Sprint Retrospectives that drive continuous improvement. Background: The question probes the candidate’s techniques for facilitating Retrospectives that genuinely contribute to team growth and product enhancement. It seeks to understand how they ensure these events are productive, inclusive, and actionable. Acceptable Answer: A comprehensive response would outline a structured approach to Retrospectives, including preparation, facilitation, follow-up practices, and valuable enhancements to the framework, for example, embracing the idea of a directly responsible individual to drive change the team considers beneficial. The candidate might mention using a variety of formats to keep the sessions engaging, techniques to ensure all team members contribute, and strategies for prioritizing action items. They should emphasize their method for tracking improvements over time to ensure accountability and demonstrate the Retrospective’s impact on the team’s performance and morale. Again, this question allows the candidates to distinguish themselves in the core competence of any Scrum Master. Question 79: Balancing Demands with Principles Please explain how you’ve balanced stakeholder demands with Agile principles to help the Scrum team prioritize work effectively. Background: This question seeks insights into the candidate’s ability to support the Scrum team in general and the Product Owner in particular in navigating competing demands, aligning stakeholder expectations with Agile principles to focus the team’s efforts on the most impactful work from the customers’ perception and the organization’s perspective. Acceptable Answer: The candidate should provide an example of supporting the Product Owner by employing prioritization techniques, such as User Story Mapping, in collaboration with stakeholders to align on priorities that offer the most value, leading to the creation of valuable Product Goals and roadmaps in the process. They should highlight their negotiation skills, ability to facilitate consensus, and adeptness at transparent communication to manage expectations and maintain a sustainable pace for the team. Question 80: Boring Projects and Motivation How do you sustain team motivation and engagement in long-term projects with high levels of task repetition? Background: This question explores the candidate’s strategies for keeping the team engaged and motivated through the monotony of prolonged projects or repetitive tasks. While we all like to work on cutting-edge technology all the time, everyday operations often comprise work that we consider less glamorous yet grudgingly accept as valuable, too. The question gauges a candidate’s ability to uphold enthusiasm and maintain high performance in a potentially less motivating environment. Acceptable Answer: Expect the candidate to discuss innovative approaches like introducing gamification elements to mundane tasks, rotating roles within the team to provide fresh challenges, and setting up regular skill-enhancement workshops. They might also mention the importance of celebrating small wins, giving recognition, for example, Kudo cards, and ensuring that the team’s work aligns with individual growth goals. The response should underline their commitment to maintaining a positive and stimulating work environment, even under challenging circumstances. Question 81: Onboarding New Team Members Please describe your experience integrating a new team member into an established Scrum team, ensuring a seamless transition and maintaining team productivity. Background: This question assesses the candidate’s approach to onboarding new team members to minimize disruption and maximize integration speed. This approach is critical for maintaining an existing team’s cohesive and productive dynamics, acknowledging that Scrum teams will regularly change composition. Acceptable Answer: Look for answers detailing a structured and inclusive onboarding plan that includes, for example: Mentorship programs A buddy system Clear documentation of team norms and expectations, such as a working agreement and a Definition of Done Team activities Gradual immersion into the Scrum team’s projects through pair programming or shadowing The candidate should highlight the importance of fostering an inclusive team culture that welcomes questions and supports new members in their learning journey, ensuring they feel valued and part of the team from day one. Question 82: Conflict Resolution How do you approach conflict resolution within a Scrum team or between the team and stakeholders to ensure continued progress and collaboration? Background: Conflicts are inevitable in any team dynamic. This question probes the candidate’s skills in navigating and resolving disagreements in a way that strengthens the team and stakeholder relationships rather than undermining them. Acceptable Answer: The candidate should describe their ability to act as a neutral mediator, actively listen to understand all perspectives, and facilitate problem-solving sessions focusing on interests rather than positions. They might also discuss creating forums for open dialogue, such as conflict-themed Retrospectives, and the importance of fostering a culture of trust and psychological safety where conflicts can be aired constructively. The response should convey their adeptness at turning conflicts into opportunities for growth and deeper understanding. However, the candidate should also make clear that not all disputes among team members may be solvable and that, once all team-based options have been exhausted, the Scrum Master needs to ask for management support to bring the conflict to a conclusion. Question 83: Scaling Scrum? Please reflect on a time when scaling Scrum across multiple teams presented significant challenges. How did you address these challenges to ensure the organization’s success with its Agile transformation? Background: Scaling Agile practices is a complex endeavor that can highlight organizational impediments and resistance. This question delves into the candidate’s experience in successfully scaling Scrum, ensuring alignment and cohesion among multiple teams, and helping everyone see the value in a transformation. Acceptable Answer: This open question allows candidates to address their familiarity with frameworks like LeSS or Nexus or share their opinion on whether SAFe is useful. Moreover, at a philosophical level, it opens the discussion of whether “Agile” is scalable at all, given that most scaling frameworks apply more processes to the issue. Also, the objecting opinion points to the need to descale the organization by empowering those closest to the problems to decide within the given constraints and governance rules. The candidate should emphasize the importance of maintaining a shared vision and goals, creating communities of practice to share knowledge and best practices, and addressing cultural barriers to change. They should also reflect on the importance of executive sponsorship, the strategic engagement of key stakeholders to champion and support the scaling effort, and the necessity of a failure culture. How To Use The Scrum Master Interview Questions Scrum has always been a hands-on business, and to be successful in this, a candidate needs to have a passion for getting her hands dirty. While the basic rules are trivial, getting a group of individuals with different backgrounds, levels of engagement, and personal agendas to form and perform as a team is a complex task. (As always, you might say, when humans and communication are involved.) Moreover, the larger the organization is, the more management levels there are, the more likely failure is lurking around the corner. The questions are not necessarily suited to turning an inexperienced interviewer into an agile expert. But in the hands of a seasoned practitioner, they can help determine what candidate has worked in the agile trenches in the past.
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Welcome back to our ongoing series, “Demystifying Event Storming,” where we navigate the intricacies of Event Storming and its applications in understanding complex business domains and software systems. I’m thrilled to embark on the next phase of our journey, especially considering the anticipation surrounding this installment. In the previous parts of our series, we embarked on an illuminating exploration of Event Storming, unraveling its collaborative nature and its role in mapping out complex business processes and interactions. We delved into the fundamentals of Event Storming, understanding its unique approach compared to traditional methods, and explored its practical application in process modeling. Furthermore, in Part Three, we ventured into the design-level aspect of Event Storming, focusing on identifying aggregates. The feedback and engagement from our readers have been phenomenal, with many expressing eagerness for the next installment. Numerous inquiries have poured in, each echoing a common sentiment: the anticipation for Part Four, where we delve into the critical concept of “bounded contexts” in Domain-Driven Design (DDD). Bounded contexts, despite their pivotal role in software design, often remain one of the least understood concepts in Domain-Driven Design (DDD). This lack of clarity can lead to significant challenges in system architecture and implementation. Therefore, in this highly anticipated installment, we’ll unravel the intricacies of bounded contexts, shedding light on their significance in software design and their role in delineating clear boundaries within a system. Building upon the foundation laid in our previous discussions, we’ll explore how Event Storming serves as a powerful tool for identifying and defining bounded contexts, facilitating better organization and communication within complex systems. Context Is King In the realm of Domain-Driven Design (DDD), the paramount principle that “context is king” underscores the significance of understanding the specific environment in which a system operates. This principle serves as a cornerstone for designing intricate software systems that effectively address user needs and align with business objectives. Through a nuanced exploration of context, teams can navigate the complexities of system design and ensure that their solutions resonate with users and stakeholders alike. Consider the scenario of encountering a pizza slice in a park versus purchasing pizza from a renowned pizza shop. These two experiences, although involving the same food item, unfold within vastly different contexts, profoundly influencing perceptions and experiences. When faced with a pizza slice found in a park, one may harbor doubts about its freshness and safety, given its exposure to the outdoor environment. Conversely, the act of purchasing pizza from a reputable pizza shop evokes feelings of anticipation and satisfaction, buoyed by trust in the establishment’s quality and hygiene standards. Understanding the nuances of context is pivotal for establishing trust and reliability within a system. Trust in the quality and safety of pizza from a reputable shop contrasts starkly with skepticism surrounding a pizza slice discovered in a park. By discerning the context in which entities operate, teams can instill confidence in their systems and cultivate positive user experiences. Conversely, overlooking context or misinterpreting it can erode trust and lead to dissatisfaction among users. Moreover, encapsulation emerges as a vital principle. By encapsulating the functionalities and characteristics of entities such as parks and pizza shops within distinct contexts, teams can achieve greater clarity, modularity, and maintainability in their systems. Encapsulation ensures that each context operates independently, shielding its internal workings from external influences and interactions. This separation is essential for preventing unintended dependencies and conflicts between contexts, facilitating easier maintenance and scalability of the system. However, failing to maintain clear boundaries between contexts can have significant repercussions. Confusing the context of a park with that of a pizza shop, for example, can lead to a tangled web of interactions and dependencies, ultimately resulting in a chaotic and disorganized system. This confusion may manifest as a “big ball of mud,” where the system becomes difficult to understand, maintain, and evolve. Without clear delineation between contexts, the system risks becoming convoluted and unmanageable, impeding progress and hindering the achievement of business objectives. In essence, embracing the principle of “context is king” empowers teams to design software solutions that resonate with users, foster trust, and deliver value. By meticulously considering the specific context in which a system operates, teams can craft solutions that not only meet user needs but also exceed expectations. In the following sections, we’ll delve into practical strategies for identifying and defining bounded contexts, leveraging the collaborative power of event-storming to achieve clarity and alignment within complex systems. Understanding Bounded Contexts In our previous discussion, we emphasized the notion that “context is king,” highlighting the paramount importance of understanding context in software design. Now, armed with a clearer understanding of context, we can delve into bounded contexts (BC) and how they enhance our comprehension of system architecture. In the world of software design, bounded contexts act as delineations that separate various realms of understanding within a system. Visualize each bounded context as a distinct microcosm with its own unique language and regulations. To illustrate with another example, consider the term “bank” – it holds different meanings based on its context. It could signify a financial institution where you deposit and withdraw money, or it might refer to the sloping land alongside a body of water. In each scenario, the word “bank” carries a different significance because it operates within a different context. In software design, similar linguistic ambiguities can arise, where identical terms hold divergent meanings across different parts of a program. Bounded contexts provide clarity in such situations by establishing boundaries that dictate specific interpretations. They essentially say, “Within this segment of the program, ‘bank’ denotes a financial institution, while in this other segment, it signifies the land beside a river.” Within each bounded context, a common language prevails. It’s akin to everyone within that context speaking the same dialect, facilitating seamless communication and understanding. This shared vocabulary, known as “ubiquitous language,” permeates every aspect of the context, ensuring consistency and clarity in communication. Also, consistency reigns supreme within each bounded context. All components and interactions adhere to a set of predefined rules, fostering predictability and mitigating confusion. If, for instance, “bank” signifies a financial institution within a specific context, it consistently retains that meaning across all instances within that context, eliminating surprises or misunderstandings. Bounded contexts are demarcated by clear borders, ensuring that they remain distinct and separate from one another. Similar to delineated rooms within a house, each bounded context operates autonomously, with actions and events confined within its designated space. This segregation prevents overlap or interference between different contexts, maintaining order and coherence within the system. Within each bounded context, integrity is preserved by upholding its own set of rules and regulations. These rules remain immutable and unaffected by external influences, safeguarding the context’s autonomy and predictability. By maintaining the sanctity of its rules, each bounded context ensures organizational consistency and reliable system behavior. In essence, bounded contexts serve as organizational constructs within software design, delineating distinct spheres of meaning and operation. Through their delineation of language, consistency in rules, clear boundaries, and integrity, bounded contexts uphold clarity, coherence, and predictability within complex software systems. For a deeper exploration of bounded contexts and their significance in software design, we recommend checking out Nick Tune’s insightful presentation on the topic. Bounded contexts are the most important part of Domain Driven Design. Maintaining a strong decoupling between different bounded contexts makes large systems more simple. Bounded contexts serve as linguistic boundaries, delineating distinct areas of meaning and operation within a software system. Just as geographical boundaries demarcate territories, bounded contexts demarcate semantic territories where terms and concepts hold specific, well-defined meanings. Within each bounded context, the ubiquitous language reigns supreme, providing stakeholders with a common understanding of domain concepts and fostering effective communication. Consider the campervan rental service domain once more. Within the context of customer management, terms like “booking,” “customer profile,” and “loyalty program” hold nuanced meanings tailored to the needs of rental managers and customer service representatives. In contrast, within the context of fleet operations, these same terms may take on entirely different connotations, aligning with the concerns and priorities of fleet managers and maintenance crews. For example, in the context of “Customer Management,” the term “booking” refers to the process of reserving a campervan for a specific duration, including customer details and payment information. Conversely, within the context of “Fleet Operations,” “booking” may signify the allocation of a vehicle for rental, including maintenance schedules and availability status. By establishing bounded contexts that align with linguistic boundaries, teams can navigate the complex terrain of software development with confidence and clarity. Each bounded context encapsulates a cohesive set of domain concepts, providing stakeholders with a focused lens through which to analyze, design, and implement software solutions. Strategies for Identifying Bounded Contexts In our quest to understand these boundaries, we employ various strategies for detecting bounded contexts. Let’s delve into these tactics, each offering unique insights into the structure and organization of software systems: "Same term different meaning." In the process of identifying bounded contexts within our domain, it’s essential to recognize that the same term may have different meanings depending on the context in which it’s used. This phenomenon is common in complex systems where various stakeholders, departments, or external systems interact, each with their own interpretations and definitions. For instance, in our campervan rental service domain, the term “reservation” might have different meanings in different contexts. Within the context of the booking system, a reservation could refer to a customer’s request to reserve a campervan for specific dates. However, in the context of inventory management, a reservation could signify a campervan that has been set aside for a particular customer but has not yet been confirmed. Similarly, the term “availability” might have distinct interpretations depending on the context. In the context of customer inquiries, availability could indicate the current availability status of a campervan for a given period. Conversely, in the context of maintenance scheduling, availability might refer to the readiness of a campervan for rental after undergoing maintenance procedures. By acknowledging these differences in meaning and context, we can identify potential bounded contexts within our system. Each unique interpretation of a term or concept may indicate a separate area of the domain that requires its own bounded context to ensure clarity, consistency, and effective communication. Therefore, during our Event Storming session, it’s crucial to pay attention to these variations in terminology and meaning. Discussing and clarifying the semantics of domain concepts with stakeholders can help uncover different perspectives and potential bounded contexts within our system. This process of understanding the nuanced meanings of terms across different contexts is essential for accurately delineating boundaries and designing cohesive, well-defined contexts within our campervan rental service domain. “Same concept, different use” holds significant implications for identifying bounded contexts within a system. Consider our campervan rental service as an example: In the domain of customer management, the concept of “customer profile” serves as a repository of information about individual customers, facilitating personalized assistance and fostering long-term relationships. Meanwhile, within inventory management, the same “customer profile” concept is utilized to associate specific vehicles with individual bookings, optimizing fleet utilization and managing logistics efficiently. From a marketing and sales perspective, “customer profiles” are leveraged to analyze behavior, segment the customer base, and tailor marketing campaigns, focusing on driving sales and increasing customer engagement. In data analytics and reporting, “customer profiles” are instrumental in generating insights, tracking key performance indicators, and making data-driven recommendations to optimize business operations. Within the technical infrastructure, the concept of “customer profile” guides the design of data models, databases, and APIs, ensuring data integrity, security, and scalability while optimizing system performance. By understanding how the same concept is used differently across these domains, we can identify potential bounded contexts within the system. Each domain interprets and applies the concept according to its unique objectives and workflows, leading to the delineation of clear boundaries and the identification of distinct bounded contexts. This understanding is crucial for designing modular, cohesive systems that align with the needs of each domain while promoting interoperability and scalability. Conway’s Law Organizations which design systems … are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations. In simpler terms, this means that the architecture of a software system tends to mirror the communication structures of the organization that builds it. This concept has significant implications for the design of bounded contexts in Domain-Driven Design (DDD). When applying Conway’s Law to bounded contexts, it suggests that the boundaries and interactions between different parts of a software system should align with the communication patterns and organizational boundaries within the development team or teams. Here’s how this principle applies to bounded contexts: Organizational boundaries: If an organization is divided into separate teams or departments, each responsible for different aspects of the software, these boundaries may naturally align with the boundaries of bounded contexts. Each team focuses on a specific area of functionality, defining its own bounded context with well-defined interfaces for interaction with other contexts. Communication structures: The communication patterns between teams or departments influence the interactions and dependencies between bounded contexts. Effective communication channels and collaboration mechanisms are essential for defining clear interfaces and ensuring seamless integration between contexts. Modularity and decoupling: Following Conway’s Law, designing bounded contexts that reflect the communication structures of the organization can promote modularity and decoupling within the system. Each bounded context encapsulates a cohesive set of functionality, reducing dependencies and allowing teams to work autonomously within their respective domains. Scalability and flexibility: By aligning bounded contexts with organizational communication structures, teams can scale their development efforts more effectively. Each team can focus on developing and maintaining a specific bounded context, enabling parallel development and deployment of independent components. This approach enhances flexibility and agility, allowing the system to evolve incrementally to meet changing business requirements. Consistency and cohesion: Conway’s Law underscores the importance of fostering effective communication and collaboration between teams to ensure consistency and cohesion across bounded contexts. Shared understanding, common goals, and aligned priorities are essential for maintaining coherence in the overall system architecture. In summary, Conway’s Law emphasizes the interconnectedness between organizational structure and software architecture. When designing bounded contexts in Domain-Driven Design, teams should consider the communication patterns, collaboration dynamics, and organizational boundaries to create modular, cohesive, and scalable systems that reflect the underlying structure of the organization. "External systems" can indeed serve as indicators of the boundaries of a context within our domain of campervan rental services. In our scenario, where our application interacts with various external systems, such as a weather service for updates, a payment gateway for transactions, and a mapping service for location information, each external system represents a distinct aspect of our application’s functionality. To manage these interactions effectively, we would likely define bounded contexts tailored to each external system. For example, we might have a context responsible for weather updates, another for payment processing, and yet another for mapping services. Each context would encapsulate the logic and functionality related to its respective external system, handling interactions, processing data, and managing relevant domain concepts. By identifying these external systems and their associated interactions, we can establish clear boundaries for each context within our system. These boundaries help organize our codebase, define clear responsibilities, and facilitate effective communication between different parts of the system. Furthermore, leveraging external systems as indicators of context boundaries enables us to design a more modular, maintainable, and scalable system architecture for our campervan rental service. With well-defined contexts tailored to specific external systems, we can ensure that each part of our application remains focused, cohesive, and easily manageable, leading to better overall system design and development. Identifying Bounded Contexts in Event Storming In the realm of Event Storming, identifying bounded contexts involves a meticulous process of analyzing domain events and uncovering patterns that delineate distinct areas of functionality within the system. One effective approach to initiating this process is by examining how domain events cluster together, forming groups that hint at cohesive bounded contexts. Grouping Domain Events Consider our campervan rental service domain. During an Event Storming session focused on this domain, we capture various domain events such as “Rent Campervan,” “Return Campervan,” “Schedule Maintenance,” and “Check Availability.” As we lay out these events on the board, we start to notice clusters forming. For example, events related to customer interactions may group together, while those pertaining to fleet management form another cluster. Proto-Bounded Contexts These clusters of domain events, often referred to as “proto-bounded contexts,” serve as early indicators of potential bounded contexts within the system. For instance, the group of events related to customer interactions may suggest a bounded context focused on “Customer Management,” while the cluster related to fleet management may indicate a separate bounded context for “Fleet Operations.” Analyzing Relationships As proto-bounded contexts begin to take shape, it becomes essential to analyze the relationships between different groups of domain events. For instance, how do events within the “Customer Management” bounded context interact with events in the “Fleet Operations” bounded context? Are there dependencies or interactions that need to be considered? To materialize these further, try the following: Ask the audience for a bounded context name. Tip: Look into names in “ing” for good ones (e.g., renting). It might also be the occasion to capture a few domain definitions. Be sure to keep your definition post-its at hand. Gather the necessary materials, including colored, thick wool string, scissors, and adhesive tape. With your volunteer, walk through the board from left to right, identifying bounded contexts. As you identify each bounded context, use the wool string to visually delineate its boundaries on the board. Engage in discussion as you go along. You will usually agree about bounded context boundaries but don’t hesitate to explore any areas of uncertainty or disagreement. This hands-on approach helps reinforce the understanding of bounded contexts by providing a tangible representation of their boundaries. By physically tracing the boundaries with wool string, participants gain a clearer visual understanding of how different areas of functionality within the system are encapsulated within distinct bounded contexts. Conclusion In conclusion, our journey through the intricacies of identifying bounded contexts in Event Storming has provided valuable insights into the art and science of system design. From understanding the nuanced meanings of domain events to recognizing patterns and clusters indicative of bounded contexts, we’ve explored various strategies for delineating clear boundaries within complex software systems. By leveraging Event Storming as a collaborative tool, teams can uncover hidden insights, facilitate meaningful discussions, and align on critical aspects of system architecture. Through hands-on exercises and interactive sessions, participants gain a deeper understanding of the domain, identify key areas of functionality, and define bounded contexts that encapsulate distinct domains within the system. Moreover, our exploration of bounded contexts within the context of Domain-Driven Design (DDD) has highlighted the pivotal role they play in fostering clarity, consistency, and modularity within software systems. By embracing the principle that “context is king,” teams can design solutions that resonate with users, align with business objectives, and adapt to evolving requirements. Additionally, it’s worth noting that for Persian-speaking audiences who seeking further insights and practical guidance on identifying Bounded Contexts, I’ve had the privilege of delivering a presentation on this topic. In this presentation, I delve deeper into the art of identifying bounded contexts at the Iran Domain Driven Design Community Conference. Thank you for joining me on this insightful journey, and until next time, happy Event Storming!
I recently read an article about the worst kind of programmer. I agree with the basic idea, but I wanted to add my thoughts on it. I have seen, over time, that developers seem invested in learning new things for the sake of new things, rather than getting better at existing approaches. Programming is like everything else — new is not always better. I have a Honda CRV that is not as easy to use as some cars I used to own before touch interfaces became popular. The touch screen sometimes acts like I'm pressing various places on the screen when I'm not, making beeping noises and flipping screens randomly. I have to stop and turn the car off and on to stop it. It has a config screen with every option disabled. It has bizarre logic about locking and unlocking the doors, that I have never fully figured out. I often wonder if devs who make car software have a driver's license. If I tried asking 100 programmers the following question, chances are very few of them, if any, could answer it without a web search: Bob just completed programming school, and heard about MVC, but is unsure how to tell which code should be modeled, which code should be viewed, and which code should be controlled. How would you explain the MVC division of code to Bob? It's not a genius question, it's really very basic stuff. Here are some other good questions about other very basic stuff: 1. Why Did Developers Decide in REST That POST Is Created and Put Is Updated? The HTTP RFCs have always stated that PUT is created or updated to a resource on the server such that a GET on that resource returns what was PUT, and that POST is basically a grab bag of whatever does not fit into other verbs. The RFCs used to say that a POST URL is indicative of an operation, now they just say POST is whatever you say it is. Developers often talk about the REST usage of POST and PUT like Jesus Christ himself dictated this usage, like there is no argument about it. I have never seen any legitimate reason why PUT cannot be created or updated as the RFC says, and POST can be for non-CRUD stuff. Any real, complex system that is driven by customer demand for features is highly likely to have some operations that are not CRUD — integrations with other systems, calculations, searches (eg, a filter box that shows matches as you type, find results for a search based on input fields), and so on. By reserving POST for these kinds of other operations, you can immediately identify anything that isn't CRUD. Otherwise, you wind up with two usages of POST — mostly for create, but here and there for other stuff. 2. Why Do Java Developers Insist on Spring and JPA for Absolutely Every Java Project Without Question? Arguably, a microservice project should be, well, you know, micro. Micro is defined as an adjective that means extremely small. When Spring and JPA take up over 200MB of memory and take 10 seconds to fire up a near-empty project that barely writes one row to a table, I'm not seeing the micro here. Call me crazy, but maybe micro should be applied to the whole approach, not just the line count: the amount of memory, the amount of handwritten code, the amount of time a new hire takes to understand how the code works, etc. You don't have to be a freak about it, trying 10 languages to see which uses the least amount of RAM, just be reasonable about it. In this case, Spring and JPA were designed for monolithic development, where you might have problems like the following: A constructor is referred to 100 times in the code. Adding a new field requires modifying all 100 constructor calls to provide the new field, but only one of those calls actually uses the new field. So dependency injection is useful. There are thousands of tables, with tens of thousands of queries, that need to be supported in multiple databases (eg, Oracle and MSSQL), with use cases like multi-tenancy and/or sharding. There comes a point where it is just too much to do some other way, and JPA is very helpful. 3. Why Does Every Web App Require Heavy Amounts of JS Code? When I started in this business, we used JSP (Java Server Pages), which is a type of SSR (Server Side Rendering). Basically, an HTML templating system that can fill in the slots with values that usually come from a database. It means when users click on a button, the whole page reloads, which these days is fast enough for it to be a brief sort of blink. The bank I have used since about 2009 still uses some sort of SSR. As a customer, I don't care it's a bit blinky. It responds in about a second after each click, and I'm only going to do maybe 12-page loads in a session before logging out. I can't find any complaint on the web about it. I saw a project "upgrade" from JSP to Angular. They had a lot of uncommented JSP code that nobody really knew how it worked, which became Angular code nobody really knew how it worked. Some people would add new business logic to Angular, some would add it to Java code, and nobody leading the project thought it was a good idea to make a decision about this. Nobody ever explained why this upgrade was of any benefit, or what it would do. The new features being added afterward were no more or less complex than what was there before, so continuing to use JSP would not have posed any problems. It appeared to be an upgrade for the sake of an upgrade. 4. Why Is Everything New Automatically So Much Better Than Older Approaches? What is wrong with the tools used 10 or 15 years ago? After all, everything else works this way. Sure, we have cars with touch screens now, but they still use gas, tires, cloth or leather seats, a glove box, a steering wheel, glass, etc. The parts you touch daily to drive are basically the same as decades ago, with a few exceptions like the touch screen and electric engines. Why can't we just use a simple way of mapping SQL tables to objects, like a code generator? Why can't we still use HTML templating systems for a line of business apps that are mostly CRUD? Why can't we use approaches that are only as complex as required for the system at hand? I haven't seen any real improvements in newer languages or tooling that are significantly better in real-world usage, with a few exceptions like using containers. 5. Do You Think Other Industries Work This Way? I can tell you right now if engineers built stuff like programmers do, I would never get in a car, walk under a bridge, or board an airplane. If doctors worked that way, I'd be mortally afraid every visit. So why do we do things this way? Is this really the best we can do? I worked with a guy who asked shortly after being hired "Why the f do we have a mono repo?". When I asked what was wrong with a monorepo, he was unable to give any answer, but convinced management how this has to change pronto, apparently convinced with almightly passion all microservice projects must be structured as separate repos per service. Not sure if it was him or someone else, but somehow it was determined that each project must be deployed in its own container. These decisions were detrimental to the project in the following ways: One project was a definition of all objects to be sent over the wire. If service A object is updated to require a new field, there is no compile error anywhere to show the need to update constructor calls. If service B calls A to create objects, and nobody thinks of this, then probably only service A is updated to provide the new required field, and a subtle hard-to-find bug exists, that might take a while for anyone to even notice. Your average corporate dev box can handle maybe 15 containers before flopping over and gasping for air. So we quickly lost local development in one of those unrecoverable ways where the team would never get it back. Every new dev would have to check out dozens of repos. No dependency information between repos was tracked anywhere, making it unknowable which subset of services has to be run to stand up service X to work on that one service. Combined with the inability to run all repos locally yields two equally sucktastic solutions to working on service X: Use trial and error to figure out which subset stands up X and run it locally Deploy every code change to a dev server When Alex talks about programmers using hugely complex solutions of the sort he describes, it sounds to me like devs who basically jerk off to everything new and cool. This is very common in this business, every team has people like that in it. That isn't necessarily a big problem by itself, but when combined with the inability/unwillingness to ensure other devs are fully capable of maintaining the system, and possibly the arrogance of "everything I say is best", and/or "only I can maintain this system," that's the killer combination that does far more harm than good.
Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement within Scrum teams or Agile teams is pivotal for personal well-being, enhancing effectiveness, building trust with stakeholders, and delivering products that genuinely enhance customers’ lives. This post dives into the top ten actionable strategies derived from the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide book, providing a roadmap for teams eager to embrace Kaizen practices. From embracing Scrum values and fostering psychological safety to prioritizing customer feedback and continuous learning, these strategies offer a comprehensive approach to fostering innovation, collaboration, and sustained improvement. My Top Ten Continuous Improvement Actions for Teams To foster a culture of continuous improvement and embrace Kaizen practices, here are enhanced suggestions for Scrum or Agile teams looking to improve their effectiveness, build trust with stakeholders, and deliver products that significantly impact customers’ lives: Regular and Reflective Retrospectives Importance: Conducting regular Retrospectives enables teams to pause and reflect on their past actions, practices, and workflows, pinpointing both strengths and areas for improvement. This continuous feedback loop is critical for adapting processes, enhancing team dynamics, and ensuring the team remains agile and responsive to change. First Step: Guarantee the consistency of your Retrospectives at every Sprint's conclusion. Before these sessions, collaboratively plan an agenda that promotes openness and inclusivity. Facilitators should incorporate practices such as anonymous feedback mechanisms and engaging games to ensure honest and constructive discussions, setting the stage for meaningful progress and team development. Implement Improvement Actions Importance: Actioning identified improvements demonstrates the team’s commitment to continuous enhancement and ensures that insights gained from Retrospectives and feedback are put into practice, leading to tangible benefits and progress. First Step: At the end of each Retrospective, work together to prioritize improvement actions and decide on clear ownership. Integrate these actions into your team’s workflow, tracking them on the Kanban board or task list like any other task. Regularly review their progress in subsequent Retrospectives to confirm they’re on track for completion and to evaluate their impact, ensuring these efforts lead to meaningful improvements in your processes and outcomes. Offer support when responsible individuals struggle to make progress. Embrace Scrum Values Importance: Integrating Scrum values deeply into the team’s ethos fosters a work environment conducive to continuous improvement. These values guide behaviors and decision-making processes, ensuring that every team member is aligned and committed to the principles of Scrum, thus enhancing collaboration and effectiveness. First Step: Host a dedicated session where the team collaboratively discusses each Scrum value and identifies specific actions or behaviors that exemplify these values in their daily work. Create a team charter or working agreement that incorporates these values and commits to holding each other accountable—as professionals do. Build Psychological Safety Importance: Psychological safety is the foundation of a team’s ability to innovate, take risks, and communicate openly without fear of negative consequences. It is essential for fostering an environment where continuous improvement can thrive, as team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, challenges, and feedback. First Step: Kick off an assessment of the team’s current psychological safety status through anonymous surveys. Follow up with a workshop focused on active listening, empathy building, and conflict resolution skills. Regularly check in on progress and set psychological safety as a recurring agenda item in Retrospectives. Also, reach out to the leadership level when the team’s safety is compromised at the organizational level to initiate a discussion on how to improve the situation. Promote Stakeholder Collaboration Importance: Effective stakeholder collaboration ensures the team’s efforts align with the broader business goals and customer needs. Engaging stakeholders throughout the development process invites diverse perspectives and feedback, which can highlight unforeseen areas for improvement and ensure that the product development is on the right track. First Step: Engage your stakeholders as a team, starting with the Sprint Reviews. Moreover, develop clear communication channels and feedback mechanisms to facilitate ongoing dialogue; you want feedback from your stakeholders not just at the Sprint Review. Remember to tailor the communication to meet your stakeholders’ needs; sometimes, this may require a written report. From time to time, consider offering joined stakeholder-team Retrospectives. Empower Team Decision-Making Importance: Allowing the team to make decisions about their work increases their sense of ownership and responsibility towards the outcomes. This level of self-management is crucial for fostering an environment where continuous improvement is driven by those closest to the work, leading to more effective and timely improvements. First Step: Begin by crafting a decision-making framework that encourages collaboration and aims for unanimous agreement rather than starting with a consent-based or majority-decision-based model. Jumping straight into consent or majority decisions can hinder team unity and lead to the formation of factions. Apply this inclusive approach to decisions identified during Retrospectives. It provides a platform for the team to practice and refine their collective decision-making skills, ensuring every team member’s viewpoint is acknowledged and valued. Utilize Visual Management Tools Importance: Visual management tools like Kanban boards provide transparency about work progress, priorities, and bottlenecks. This visibility helps the team manage their workflow more effectively, identify improvement opportunities, and make informed decisions. First Step: Collaboratively establish or enhance your Kanban board to ensure it genuinely represents the team’s workflow. It should incorporate features like columns or signals for work-in-progress limits, blocked tasks, and quality control checkpoints. Make it a routine to assess and update the board in Retrospectives, adapting it to evolving team needs and processes. Consider techniques like “walking the board” during Daily Scrum sessions. Focus on Customer Feedback Importance: Prioritizing customer feedback grounds the team’s efforts in real user needs and experiences, driving improvements directly relevant to customer satisfaction and product success. It ensures the team remains focused on delivering value and solving the right problems. First Step: Establish a systematic process for gathering feedback, which could involve organizing user interviews, deploying surveys, or conducting beta testing sessions. Integrate regular feedback review periods into Retrospectives, Sprint Planning and Sprint Review sessions, or Product Backlog refinement meetings to ensure customer insights are continuously woven into the development cycle. Cultivate a Growth Mindset Importance: Encouraging a growth mindset within the team fosters an attitude of learning and resilience. It helps team members view challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth, driving personal and team development and innovation. First Step: Facilitate a workshop on understanding and embracing a growth mindset, featuring exercises to dismantle fixed mindset beliefs. Motivate team members to identify and pursue personal development objectives and to frequently exchange insights and achievements, possibly through mechanisms like a ‘learning log’ or in the context of Sprint Retrospectives. Continuous Learning and Skill Development Importance: Investing in continuous learning and skill development ensures the team remains adaptable and capable of overcoming new challenges. It supports the evolution of team capabilities and the introduction of innovative solutions, keeping the team and product at the forefront of industry trends. First Step: Allocate a specific time each Sprint for team members to engage in learning activities, such as online courses, workshops, and brown-bag, pair- or mob programming sessions. Promote disseminating newly acquired knowledge and abilities via ‘learning showcases’ or internal mini-workshops, fostering a shared growth and expertise culture. Additional Considerations for Continuous Improvement While the strategies provided offer a solid foundation for fostering a culture of continuous improvement within Scrum and Agile teams, remember that the journey towards improvement is ongoing and unique to each team’s context. Here are a few additional considerations: Customization is key: Adapt these strategies to fit your team’s specific needs, challenges, and dynamics. What works for one team may not work for another. Measure progress: As a team, establish metrics or indicators to track the effectiveness of implemented changes. Measuring progress helps understand the improvements’ impact and guides further adjustments. Leadership support: Ensure leadership is on board and supportive of these initiatives. Their backing can significantly influence the success of efforts to foster a continuous improvement culture. Celebrate successes: Recognize and celebrate the successes, no matter how small. Acknowledging achievements boosts morale and reinforces the value of the continuous improvement efforts. Stay patient: Change takes time. Encourage patience and persistence among team members. Continuous improvement is a marathon, not a sprint; the benefits accumulate over time. By considering these additional points, you will be better positioned to navigate the complexities of implementing continuous improvement practices and cultivating a resilient and innovative team culture. Conclusion Embracing continuous improvement through these ten strategies is crucial for Scrum and Agile teams aiming to elevate their performance and product quality. By regularly reflecting on practices, including everyone on the team, and focusing on customer-centric solutions, teams can foster a dynamic environment where innovation flourishes. Implementing these suggestions will improve team dynamics and stakeholder relationships and ensure that products continually evolve to meet and exceed customer expectations. Start small, prioritize actionable changes, and build momentum toward cultivating a robust culture of continuous improvement and excellence in your team’s journey. How does your team practice continuous improvement? Please share your experience with us in the comments.
Biology insists — and common sense says — that I've started to become that old fogey I used to laugh at in my younger days. ...THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife. FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah. FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:And you try and tell the young people of today that ... they won't believe it. - Monty Python, Four Yorkshiremen Now that I'm now that old, grizzled software veteran whom I feared in earlier times, I've reflected on how the job has changed — definitely for the better — and how engineers today (me included) are so incredibly lucky to be working with the tools available today. Image source: "Coding w/ Gedit" by Matrixizationized, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Those older days? Not much to get excited about. Text Editors Unbeknownst to modern-day software engineers, prehistoric software engineering did not have IDEs to help: no Visual Studio, IntelliJ, VSCode, Eclipse, Atom, nothing. No autocomplete. No syntax checking. No code navigation. No integrated debugging. Nada. Instead, you wrote code in (OMG) text editors like vi or emacs or even Windows Notepad (or edlin, when desperate), enhanced by other tools (who's run lint from the command line recently?). And similar to debating IDEs today, then we debated text editors. Engineers may be able to customize those that were configurable, but in the end, it's a damn text editor. Wrap your head around it. Tabs vs. Spaces How many characters to indent has been vigorously debated since the dawn of structured programming - no Fortran's fixed positions, thank you very much - but have you ever debated the pros/cons of indenting with tabs vs. spaces? A senior engineer I worked with was adamant that tabs sped up compilation time due to fewer bytes, and insisted (demanded) that we do the same, IKYN. No supporting data was provided, but s/he who speaks the loudest wins. Hungarian Notation Hungarian Notation is (originally) a C/C++ coding convention to assist data type identification through naming, allowing engineers to infer the underlying data types without digging through code, e.g. szName is a null-terminated string, and usCount an unsigned short integer. Method names became overly convoluted as the data types for the return value and each parameter is baked in; e.g., uiszCountUsersByDomain accepts a null-terminated string and returns an unsigned integer. When the function accepted more than a trivial number of parameters, its name became unreadable and meaningless, so I typically only included the return type. However cryptic, Hungarian Notation was very useful in pre-IDE days and I used it extensively. With shame, I admit to initially applying it to Java but quickly learned the error of my ways. Paper-Based Code Reviews Perhaps difficult to believe, but code reviews predate pull requests and your collaboration tools of choice: physical, in-person, paper-based code reviews. Each engineer printed out the code to review and marked it up: questions, concerns, comments, etc. The code occurred in real-time with all people present in the same room, nothing virtual. The author took hard-written notes — remember, no laptops, notebooks, tablets — and returned to their desk to make the agreed-upon changes. Finito. Single Display Monitor Image source: "Big old monitor" by Harry Wood, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Remember these old clunkers front-and-center on your desk? And let's not mention the incredibly unacceptable screen resolutions. Or how you were restricted to using a single monitor due to hardware limitations, software limitations, hardware cost, physical space, electric consumption, or whatever? Ugh! In my world, there is no such thing as too much screen real estate: multiple monitors, large screen sizes, higher resolution, virtual desktops - I want more, more, more! At Dell, I had four monitors (19x12, meh) and four virtual desktops for 16 total screens. My home work environment has two 27" 4K monitors plus my MacBook screen, far superior to what's available on the rare trips to the office. Even travel is tough because I'm limited to my MacBook's screen (though I do hook up to the hotel's TV when possible). Boy, life is hard! Primitive Networks Image source: "modem and phone" by BryanAlexande, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Before the adoption of TCP/IP as the de facto networking standard and the universal availability of the Internet, inter-computer communications were difficult. Businesses sometimes deployed site- or company-specific LANs, but rarely to external companies (only as-needed and at great expense). Dialup modems were all the rage at home until DSL became available in the late 1990s. Do you understand how exciting 9600 baud could be? No, you don't! The first distributed application I worked with had the app on the remote system automatically dial a modem to connect to the central system, send the data to be analyzed, download the generated results, and disconnect. Slow and effective, but it worked. . . until someone in Finland flipped a modem toggle and now the remote system can't connect. Weeks of checking phone lines, reviewing log files, and reinstalling applications until checking the modem. Oops. And Not To Be Forgotten What else was there? 8.3 file names. Floppy-based software installs with hand-entered license codes. Regularly occurring blue screens of death (much more occasional now). Primitive or non-existent security. Microsoft Radio to keep you entertained while waiting for paid support. No open source software: everything is purchased or written from scratch. I'm sure there's more. [Fortunately, I never wrote COBOL programs with punchcards, though a friend did during her training at Anderson Consulting. And make sure you don't drop your stack!] Oh, you kids have it so easy. . . and with that statement, I've finally become who my grandparents warned me about. Damn.
Comparing the backend development landscape of today with that of the late '90s reveals a significant shift. Despite the fact that the barriers of entry to software development as a career have become lower, the role is now more complex, with developers facing a broader range of challenges and expectations. Engineers today grapple with building larger and more intricate systems and an overwhelming amount of choice across all aspects of software development. From which language, tool, platform, framework, etc. to use, to which solution, architectural style, design pattern, etc. to implement. The demand for designing robust, scalable, and secure distributed systems capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users, often with near-perfect availability, and compliance with stringent data-handling and security regulations, adds to the complexity. This article delves into the ways backend development has evolved over the past 20 years, shedding light on the aspects that contribute to its perceived increase in difficulty. Higher User Expectations Today's computers boast exponentially greater memory and processing power, along with other previously unimaginable capabilities. These technological leaps enable the development of far more complex and powerful software. As software capabilities have increased, so too have user expectations. Modern users demand software that is not only globally accessible but also offers a seamless cross-platform experience, responsive design, and real-time updates and collaborative features. They expect exceptional performance, high availability, and continual updates to meet their evolving needs with new features and enhancements. This shift challenges developers to leverage an array of technologies to meet these expectations, making backend development even more challenging. Increased Scale and System Complexity The complexity of software problems we tackle today far surpasses those from 20 years ago. We are now orchestrating networks of computers, processing thousands of transactions per second, and scaling systems to accommodate millions of users. Developers now need to know how to handle massive, polyglot codebases, implement distributed systems, and navigate the complexities of multithreading and multiprocessing. Additionally, the necessity for effective abstraction and dependency management further complicates the development process. With complex distributed systems, abstractions are essential to allow developers to reduce complexity, hide the unnecessary details and focus on higher-level functionality. The downside of the widespread use of abstractions is that debugging is much more difficult and having a comprehensive understanding of a system much more challenging, especially due to the limitations of traditional system visualization tools. Furthermore, the proliferation of APIs necessitates meticulous dependency management to prevent the creation of systems that are convoluted, fragile, or opaque, making them challenging to understand, maintain, or expand. Although many developers still resort to whiteboards or non-interactive diagramming tools to map their systems, recently, more dynamic and automated tools have emerged, offering real-time insights into system architecture. These changes, along with many others (e.g. heightened security requirements, the introduction of caching, increased expectations for test coverage, exception handling, compiler optimization, etc.), underscore the increased complexity of modern backend development. The era when a single programmer could oversee an entire system is long gone, replaced by the need for large, distributed teams and extensive collaboration, documentation, and organizational skills. Overwhelming Choice With the rapid pace that technology is evolving, developers now have to navigate a vast and ever-growing ecosystem of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, tools, and platforms. This can lead to decision paralysis, exemplifying the paradox of choice: it is a mistake to assume that if we give developers more choice, they will be happier and more productive. Unlimited choice is more attractive in theory than in practice. The plethora of choices in the tech landscape is documented in the latest CNCF report - which shows hundreds of options! While a degree of autonomy in choosing the best technology or tool for a solution is important, too much choice can lead to overload and ultimately overwhelm people or cause procrastination or inaction. The solution is to strike a balance between providing developers with the freedom to make meaningful choices and curating the options to prevent choice overload. By offering well-vetted, purpose-driven recommendations and fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and best practices, we empower developers to navigate the expansive tech landscape with confidence and efficiency. Different Set of Skills The advent of cloud computing has introduced additional complexities for backend developers, requiring them to be proficient in deploying and managing applications in cloud environments, understanding containerization, and selecting appropriate orchestration tools. Besides technical knowledge, skills in modern backend developers that are particularly valued are: Managing legacy software and reducing architectural technical debt. The majority of projects developers work on these days are “brown field”. Knowing how to adapt and evolve architectures to accommodate unforeseen use cases, all the while managing — and possibly reducing — architectural technical debt is a prized skill. Assembling software by choosing the right technologies. With the explosion of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and open-source software, software development has shifted to an assembly-like approach, where backend engineers need to meticulously select and combine components, libraries, and frameworks to create a complete system where each piece fits seamlessly. Designing a scalable, performant, and secure system architecture. Backend software engineers are designers too and they must possess a deep understanding of software design principles to create scalable and maintainable applications. Cross-team communication. Distributed systems are built by large teams that comprise many different stakeholders. A sign of a great engineer is the ability to communicate effectively, fostering a shared understanding and efficient decision-making across all stakeholders. Conclusion In reflecting on the evolution of backend development over the past two decades, it becomes evident that the role has transformed from a relatively straightforward task of server-side programming to a multifaceted discipline requiring a broad spectrum of skills. The challenges of meeting higher user expectations, managing the scale and complexity of systems, navigating an overwhelming array of choices, and acquiring a diverse set of skills highlights the complexity of modern backend development. While it has never been easier to enter the field of software development, excelling as a backend developer today requires navigating a more complex and rapidly evolving technological environment. Possessing expertise in system architecture, cloud services, containerization, and orchestration tools, alongside the soft skills necessary for effective cross-team communication, will remain pivotal for success in this dynamic domain.
Moving from coding wizard to the captain of the tech ship is no walk in the park. I've been on this wild ride for over 12 years, climbing from a newbie manager to calling the shots in senior management. It's more than just leveling up your tech game; it's a total mindset overhaul, a dance with the bigger picture, and a crash course in bossing up. This shift is a rollercoaster, demanding some serious soul-searching, skill buffing, and a promise to keep learning as the world keeps changing. This article spills the beans on the ins and outs of this evolution, dishing out a no-nonsense guide for anyone itching to ride this transformation wave. Introduction Swapping the coding grind for a leadership opportunity is a game-changer in your career. It's not just a job switch; it's a full-blown makeover that needs you to see the whole picture. Beyond just knowing your way around tech stuff, leading the tech pack needs a flair for teamwork, a knack for sparking innovation, and a hunger for hitting goals together. In the next bits, we're diving into the nitty-gritty, giving you the lowdown for those gunning to jump from solo coder to tech leader. Soul-Searching and Skill Buffing 1. Soul-Searching Start this ride by looking at your career goals, strengths, and spots that need some TLC. Check if you're genuinely into guiding and helping others. Leadership is more than just tech smarts; it's about teaming up, pushing boundaries, and scoring wins together. 2. Skill Buffing Grabbing and polishing the skills you need to lead is the name of the game. Talking well, thinking big, making calls, and handling a crew are your building blocks. Get your hands dirty with projects that let you flex these skills, even before you officially make the jump. Leading isn't just learned from a book; it's a hands-on experience. Plotting Your Career Path 3. Mentor Magic Get the information from the Senior leaders in your company or your field. A mentor's tips can be gold, giving you the lowdown on where your career can go and being your go-to for bouncing around ideas. Learning from the experienced hands can speed up your growth and keep you from tripping on common hurdles. 4. Leadership Bootcamp Sign up for the leadership bootcamps, workshops, and shindigs. Lots of companies have in-house workshops to whip up future leaders. These workshops teach you the A to Z of leadership, spill the beans on what works, and throw in real-life stories that show you the ropes. 5. Project Commander Throw your hat in the ring to lead projects or big moves in your current organization. Taking charge, wrangling teams, and showing off your leadership chops shouts loud and clear that you're game for the next level. Go looking for chances to show off your leadership game, even before you've got the official title. Elevating Your Leadership Swagger 6. Spotlight Moments and Handshakes Be front and center at industry events, conferences, and places where a lot of the Senior leaders participate. Building a network can open doors to leadership opportunities and let you see how different leaders operate. Join the scene where you can learn from the pros, swap stories with peers, and stay in the loop about what's hot in the tech town. 7. Grab That Leadership Role When you're really inclined towards this path, go all in for leadership roles. That might mean chasing promotions in-house or sniffing around for opportunities that match your career dreams. Tweak your resume to show off the good stuff that screams leadership potential. Be ready to talk up your vision for leadership when the interviews roll in. 8. Always Tweak, Always Grow The journey doesn't hit the brakes when you grab that leadership spot. Keep an eye out for chances to get better, soak up feedback, and adjust your leadership style as your team and company shake things up. Leading is a never-ending lesson, and being able to roll with the punches is key for sticking around at the top. Riding the Leadership Wave Switching from coding guru to tech leader is a wild ride that needs guts, some serious self-reflection, and a promise to keep growing. Every win or faceplant adds up to making you a leader worth following. Embrace the twists, learn from the faceplants, and savor the rush of guiding a team to victory. As you roll into this leadership adventure, remember that going from code jockey to tech leader is different for everyone. Sure, there are some rules and steps, but your journey's shaped by your story, your company culture, and the buzz in your team. Stay locked on your goals, stay flexible, and enjoy the ride of becoming a leader who gets tech and pushes others to win too. Conclusion Yeah, it's a bumpy ride going from coder to tech leader, but the wins at the end are worth the grind. This guide spills the tea for those eyeing leadership spots in the tech game. Mix in some soul-searching, skill flexing, mentor chats, and always looking to level up, and you'll level up your tech leadership career. Remember, the journey's just as important as the finish line, and each step gets you closer to being the Senior Leader making waves.
Imagine entering a bustling workshop - not of whirring machines, but of minds collaborating. This is the true essence of software programming at its core: a collective effort where code serves not just as instructions for machines, but as a shared language among developers. However, unlike spoken languages, code can often become an obscure dialect, shrouded in complexity and inaccessible to newcomers. This is where the art of writing code for humans comes into play, transforming cryptic scripts into narratives that others can easily understand. After all, a primary group of users for our code are software engineers; those who are currently working with us or will work on our code in the future. This creates a shift in our software development mindset. Writing code just for the machines to understand and execute is not enough. It's necessary but not sufficient. If our code is easily human-readable and understandable then we've made a sufficient step towards manageable code complexity. This article focuses on how human-centric code can help towards manageable code complexity. There exist a number of best practices but they should be handled with careful thinking and consideration of our context. Finally, the jungle metaphor is used to explain some basic dynamics of code complexity. The Labyrinth of Complexity What is the nemesis of all human-readable code? Complexity. As projects evolve, features multiply, and lines of code snake across the screen, understanding becomes a daunting task. To combat this, developers wield a set of time-tested principles, their weapons against chaos. It is important to keep in mind that complexity is inevitable. It may be minimal complexity or high complexity, but one key takeaway here is that complexity creeps in, but it doesn't have to conquer our code. We must be vigilant and act early so that we can write code that keeps growing and not groaning. Slowing Down By applying good practices like modular design, clear naming conventions, proper documentation, and principles like those mentioned in the next paragraph, we can significantly mitigate the rate at which complexity increases. This makes code easier to understand, maintain, and modify, even as it grows. Breaking Down Complexity We can use techniques like refactoring and code reviews to identify and eliminate unnecessary complexity within existing codebases. This doesn't eliminate all complexity, but it can be significantly reduced. Choosing Better Tools and Approaches Newer programming languages and paradigms often focus on reducing complexity by design. For example, functional programming promotes immutability and modularity, which can lead to less intricate code structures. Complete Elimination of Complexity Slowing down code complexity is one thing, reducing it is another thing and completely eliminating it is something different that is rarely achievable in practice. Time-Tested Principles Below, we can find a sample of principles that may help our battle against complexity. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but it helps to make our point that context is king. While these principles offer valuable guidance, rigid adherence can sometimes backfire. Always consider the specific context of your project. Over-applying principles like Single Responsibility or Interface Segregation can lead to a bloated codebase that obscures core functionality. Don't Make Me Think Strive for code that reads naturally and requires minimal mental effort to grasp. Use clear logic and self-explanatory structures over overly convoluted designs. Make understanding the code as easy as possible for both yourself and others. Encapsulation Group related data and functionalities within classes or modules to promote data hiding and better organization. Loose Coupling Minimize dependencies between different parts of your codebase, making it easier to modify and test individual components. Separation of Concerns Divide your code into distinct layers (e.g., presentation, business logic, data access) for better maintainability and reusability. Readability Use meaningful names, consistent formatting, and comments to explain the "why" behind the code. Design Patterns (Wisely) Understand and apply these common solutions, but avoid forcing their use. For example, the SOLID principles can be summarised as follows: Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) Imagine a Swiss Army knife with a million tools. While cool, it's impractical. Similarly, code should focus on one well-defined task per class. This makes it easier to understand, maintain, and avoid unintended consequences when modifying the code. Open/Closed Principle (OCP) Think of LEGO bricks. You can build countless things without changing the individual bricks themselves. In software, OCP encourages adding new functionality through extensions, leaving the core code untouched. This keeps the code stable and adaptable. fbusin Substitution Principle (LSP) Imagine sending your friend to replace you at work. They might do things slightly differently, but they should fulfill the same role seamlessly. The LSP ensures that subtypes (inheritances) can seamlessly replace their base types without causing errors or unexpected behavior. Interface Segregation Principle (ISP) Imagine a remote with all buttons crammed together. Confusing, right? The ISP advocates for creating smaller, specialized interfaces instead of one giant one. This makes code clearer and easier to use, as different parts only interact with the functionalities they need. Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP) Picture relying on specific tools for every task. Impractical! DIP suggests depending on abstractions (interfaces) instead of concrete implementations. This allows you to easily swap out implementations without affecting the rest of the code, promoting flexibility and testability. Refactoring Regularly revisit and improve the codebase to enhance clarity and efficiency. Simplicity (KISS) Prioritize clear design, avoiding unnecessary features and over-engineering. DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) Eliminate code duplication by using functions, classes, and modules. Documentation Write clear explanations for both code and software usage, aiding users and future developers. How Misuse Can Backfire While the listed principles aim for clarity and simplicity, their misapplication can lead to the opposite effect. Here are some examples. 1. Overdoing SOLID Strict SRP Imagine splitting a class with several well-defined responsibilities into multiple smaller classes, each handling a single, minuscule task. This can create unnecessary complexity with numerous classes and dependencies, hindering understanding. Obsessive OCP Implementing interfaces for every potential future extension, even for unlikely scenarios, may bloat the codebase with unused abstractions and complicate understanding the actual functionality. 2. Misusing Design Patterns Forced Factory Pattern Applying a factory pattern when simply creating objects directly makes sense, but can introduce unnecessary complexity and abstraction, especially in simpler projects. Overkill Singleton Using a singleton pattern for every service or utility class, even when unnecessary can create global state management issues and tightly coupled code. 3. Excessive Refactoring Refactoring Mania Constantly refactoring without a clear goal or justification can introduce churn, making the codebase unstable and harder to follow for other developers. Premature Optimization Optimizing code for potential future performance bottlenecks prematurely can create complex solutions that may never be needed, adding unnecessary overhead and reducing readability. 4. Misunderstood Encapsulation Data Fortress Overly restrictive encapsulation, hiding all internal data and methods behind complex accessors, can hinder understanding and make code harder to test and modify. 5. Ignoring Context Blindly Applying Principles Rigidly adhering to principles without considering the project's specific needs can lead to solutions that are overly complex and cumbersome for the given context. Remember The goal is to use these principles as guidelines, not strict rules. Simplicity and clarity are paramount, even if it means deviating from a principle in specific situations. Context is king: Adapt your approach based on the project's unique needs and complexity. By understanding these potential pitfalls and applying the principles judiciously, you can use them to write code that is both clear and efficient, avoiding the trap of over-engineering. The Importance of Human-Centric Code Regardless of the primary user, writing clear, understandable code benefits everyone involved. From faster collaboration and knowledge sharing to reduced maintenance and improved software quality. 1. Faster Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Onboarding becomes a breeze: New developers can quickly grasp the code's structure and intent, reducing the time they spend deciphering cryptic logic. Knowledge flows freely: Clear code fosters open communication and collaboration within teams. Developers can easily share ideas, understand each other's contributions, and build upon previous work. Collective intelligence flourishes: When everyone understands the codebase, diverse perspectives and solutions can emerge, leading to more innovative and robust software. 2. Reduced Future Maintenance Costs Bug fixes become adventures, not nightmares: Debugging is significantly faster when the code is well-structured and easy to navigate. Developers can pinpoint issues quicker, reducing the time and resources spent on troubleshooting. Updates are a breeze, not a burden: Adding new features or modifying existing functionality becomes less daunting when the codebase is clear and understandable. This translates to lower maintenance costs and faster development cycles. Technical debt stays in check: Clear code makes it easier to refactor and improve the codebase over time, preventing technical debt from accumulating and hindering future progress. 3. Improved Overall Software Quality Fewer bugs, more smiles: Clear and well-structured code is less prone to errors, leading to more stable and reliable software. Sustainable projects, not ticking time bombs: Readable code is easier to maintain and evolve, ensuring the software's long-term viability and resilience. Happy developers, happy users: When developers can work on code they understand and enjoy, they're more productive and engaged, leading to better software and ultimately, happier users. Welcome to the Jungle Imagine a small garden, teeming with life and beauty. This is your software codebase, initially small and manageable. As features accumulate and functionality grows, the garden turns into an ever-expanding jungle. Vines of connections intertwine, and dense layers of logic sprout. Complexity, like the jungle, becomes inevitable. But just as skilled explorers can navigate the jungle, understanding its hidden pathways and navigating its obstacles, so too can developers manage code complexity. Again, if careless decisions are made in the jungle, we may endanger ourselves or make our lives miserable. Here are a few things that we can do in the jungle, being aware of what can go wrong: Clearing Paths Refactoring acts like pruning overgrown sections, removing unnecessary code, and streamlining logical flows. This creates well-defined paths, making it easier to traverse the code jungle. However, careless actions can make the situation worse. Overzealous pruning with refactoring might sever crucial connections, creating dead ends and further confusion. Clearing paths needs precision and careful consideration about what paths we need and why. Building Bridges Design patterns can serve as metaphorical bridges, spanning across complex sections and providing clear, standardized ways to access different functionalities. They offer familiar structures within the intricate wilderness. Beware though, that building bridges with ill-suited design patterns or ill-implemented patterns can lead to convoluted detours and hinder efficient navigation. Building bridges requires understanding what needs to be bridged, why, and how. Mapping the Terrain Documentation acts as a detailed map, charting the relationships between different parts of the code. By documenting code clearly, developers have a reference point to navigate the ever-growing jungle. Keep in mind that vague and incomplete documentation becomes a useless map, leaving developers lost in the wilderness. Mapping the terrain demands accuracy and attention to detail. Controlling Growth While the jungle may expand, strategic planning helps manage its complexity. Using modularization, like dividing the jungle into distinct biomes, keeps different functionalities organized and prevents tangled messes. Uncontrolled growth due to poor modularisation may result in code that is impossible to maintain. Controlling growth necessitates strategic foresight. By approaching these tasks with diligence, developers can ensure the code jungle remains explorable, understandable, and maintainable. With tools, mechanisms, and strategies tailored to our specific context and needs, developers can navigate the inevitable complexity. Now, think about the satisfaction of emerging from the dense jungle, having not just tamed it, but having used its complexities to your advantage. That's the true power of managing code complexity in software development. Wrapping Up While completely eliminating complexity might be unrealistic, we can significantly reduce the rate of growth and actively manage complexity through deliberate practices and thoughtful architecture. Ultimately, the goal is to strike a balance between functionality and maintainability. While complexity is unavoidable, it's crucial to implement strategies that prevent it from becoming an obstacle in software development.