My top 10 articles
The wrong software done well, is still the wrong software
“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” — John Dewey
- Good developers discover the software needed before they design and create it
- Bad developers create the software needed and then discover how it should work
Software projects are in a rush to create software. This results in what…
You need to be worth more to get paid more
It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages. Henry Ford
If you want to get paid more, you need to improve your skills, knowledge and experience. The more you learn, the more you earn.
Yet it’s…
Developers need to protect their careers from change
As soon as there is development, there is danger
Developers try to manage the effects of change on their code but fail to notice the devastating effects it can have on their careers.
The danger to developers isn’t bugs, problems or running out of work. It’s the slow journey to…
Avoid the wilderness
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Abraham Lincoln
Your career uses a plan you create, or a plan created by someone else. The more you can use your plan, the faster your career will progress.
You don’t need to do extraordinary things to progress…
Everyone says it’s different this time
“We have two classes of forecasters: Those who don’t know — and those who don’t know they don’t know.” John Kenneth Galbraith
Are low-code development tools different this time? Every time there is a new technology, it's usually accompanied by someone saying it’s different this time.
Probably 80% (maybe higher)…
Avoid being stupid as much as being brilliant
“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” Charlie Munger
The common approach to gathering requirements and creating software is to focus on what it needs to do, how it should work…
You don't bump into people whilst working remotely, you do bump into people in the office.
You see people coming in and going out of the building
You see people at the water cooler/kettle
you go to lunch with people
you might go out afterwards
If you are in the…
Why is no one monitoring developer happiness?
Misery loves company, which is why you have a team of developers
We use lots of statistics and measures to monitor development, but there are few measures and indicators to monitor developers.
Mood, morale, and energy play a large part in software development. It would be useful to see if…
You cannot teach creativity, and you don’t follow a mimic
“I want to put a ding in the universe.” Steve Jobs
Everyone forgets software development is a creative process, but this is the key difference between average and great developers. Creativity is needed to create software because software is unique.
Everyone can be trained to be a developer, but few…
