Why is it so hard to decide to buy?

Build vs buy, the never-ending debate. Should we buy a vendor product, or build the system ourselves? Despite popular consensus that it is critical to focus on work that is core to our business, engineers the world over continue to build non-core products instead of buying them. What gives?

How to help developers work in the flow

Developer’s job is one of the most mentally demanding jobs. Developers work with complex algorithms, juggle multiple things in their short-term memory and do many other mental operations to write code, and any interruption can cause these details to come crashing down. To operate effectively, they need to be focused and concentrated every second or, if lucky enough, work in the state of flow.

Heuristics for effective software development: A continuously evolving list

This list is hardly original thinking on my part. It started out as a way to present the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto in a clearer and more contemporary way, though I’ve added a few things. It represents a snapshot of my thinking in a moment in time, not a set of irrefutable truths.

How to give positive feedback to colleagues

Surprisingly, the process of giving positive feedback to colleagues is the same as constructive feedback! When you hear the word feedback, what do you feel?

Agile at 20: The failed rebellion

In February, 2001, a group of seventeen expert software practitioners met at The Lodge at Snowbird ski resort in the Wasatch mountains of Utah. Over the course of a few days of discussion and debate, they collaboratively wrote the “Agile Software Development Manifesto”.