I’m a big advocate for code reviews. I’ve written about my experiences reviewing code, including lists of dos and don’ts, how to survive your first code review, and why we should review code at all. My views have been mainly shaped by my experience with a particular kind of code…

Design patterns are great to use. However, they can lead to roadblocks when used in excess — Learning patterns has become a core aspect for many people on their journey to becoming software engineers. Countless articles have been written about patterns and how to apply them. Courses, YouTube videos, and GitHub repos all exist to help engineers master the power of patterns. …

Working as a software engineer in today’s world often requires working with others. The top tech companies, fintechs, and even up-and-coming disruptors organize their engineers into teams with specific missions, goals, and ownership. It might be the fabled two-pizza team, or it might be a team of ten or more. …

A foundational component of Agile (whatever flavor of it you like) is daily improvement. Teams need to improve their code, tools, and even process to improve over time. But when exactly does a team talk about how they should be improving? Enter the retrospective. Retrospectives are some of the most…

February 28, 2023 Several years ago, I was tired after a particularly long week. We’d been under a deadline and trying to wrap up final tests for a feature. It had been a bumpy week, to say the least. One of our tests revealed a bug we needed to fix…

Code reviewing has been going on long before the pull request model. Here are four methods worth knowing to help your team review code — Many engineers who have read my blog will know I talk a lot about code reviews. I firmly believe that a healthy code review practice is a critical tool for building a great team. It’s easier to build great software if people feel safe enough to ask questions, are generous…

You might have heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s an expression to keep people from making knee-jerk judgments about someone based on an initial impression or short interaction. …

January 03, 2023 While wandering the streets during New Year’s Eve several years ago (pre-COVID), I came upon a tree. Our fellow NYE participants had covered the tree with small strips of paper using bits of twine or string to affix them to the branches. On each was a short…

The day is August 18th, 1969. A dwindling crowd remains after an endless night of music at a farm outside Bethel, New York. After a long and full lineup of music all weekend long, only one artist is left to play at Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix and his band began playing…