Newsletters

Don’t worry, be happy

January 30, 2022

This issue features insights on LeBron James' stellar season, the importance of 1-1 meetings in management, the pitfalls of legacy systems in CI/CD, and crafting memorable strategy statements for your team.

Structural lessons in engineering management

January 23, 2022

This week’s newsletter explores the balance of structural thinking in teams, the intricacies of software complexity, the impact of attrition, mental models for problem-solving, and a delightful story about two office cats, Jean and Jorts.

Know how your org works (or how to become a more effective engineer)

January 16, 2022

In this issue, explore strategies for effective project estimation without deadlines, understand Engineering Enablement, and gain insights from a personal journey in tech job searching. Dive into key takeaways to enhance your engineering effectiveness.

The power of defaults

January 09, 2022

In this issue, explore the secrets of structural competitive advantages, boost your team's productivity, tackle tech debt in super apps, and navigate the complexities of decision-making styles for better outcomes.

Principles of decision making

January 02, 2022

This week’s issue dives into decision-making principles for leaders, Mark Porter's tech journey at MongoDB, the nuances of code reviews, group dynamics, and insights on fostering a high-velocity DevOps culture.

The seven areas of software management

December 26, 2021

In this issue, we explore how to shift focus from projects to milestones for better results, the challenge of improving bad systems, and insights into metrics-driven product development. Discover strategies for effective engineering management.

How Stripe scaled

December 19, 2021

This issue features insights from Claire Hughes-Johnson on scaling startups, a guide to post-incident analysis, tips for performance ratings, and the evolving landscape of data teams. Dive in for valuable leadership and management strategies.

Hiring (and retaining) a diverse engineering team

December 12, 2021

This issue dives into building diverse engineering teams, aligning strategic objectives, enhancing on-call processes, prioritizing through calendars, and improving engineering communication. Discover insights from industry leaders.

OOPS writeups

December 05, 2021

This issue highlights effective OOPS write-up structures, the importance of clarity in architecture discussions, the growth fostered by strong software teams, and critical reflections on the "5 Whys" technique.

Planning for change with RFCs

November 28, 2021

This week’s issue explores effective knowledge-sharing through RFCs, revisits Agile principles, discusses intelligent escalation for SRE, emphasizes developer productivity, and tackles the challenge of measuring analytics work.

Don't soften feedback

November 21, 2021

In this issue, we explore the art of delivering tough feedback, the impact of code quality on team dynamics, and strategies for independent product engineering. Plus, insights on empowering directive leadership and measuring software engineer performance effectively.

Becoming a CTO

November 14, 2021

This week’s issue dives into insights on becoming a CTO, effective team communication, architectural design forces, the importance of rapid shipping in startups, and the mutual benefits of mentorship in tech.

Letting change and uncertainty advance your software architecture

November 07, 2021

This issue explores resilience in software architecture, the challenges of changing engineering team dynamics, and insights on effective leadership from industry experts. Dive in to enhance your engineering approach.

Why you should repeat yourself

October 31, 2021

This issue explores the importance of communication in leadership, the challenges of optimizing team productivity, and insights on evaluating new technologies. Discover how to lead effectively and foster team consensus.

Why is everything so hard in a large organization?

October 24, 2021

This issue explores navigating large organizations, the challenges faced by junior developers, the value of in-house expertise, team management tips, and insights on securing engineering leadership roles. Dive in for valuable perspectives.

How new managers fail individual contributors

October 17, 2021

This week’s issue explores the challenges of promoting individual contributors over managers, the importance of balance in workplace productivity, and insights on effective organizational design. Dive into engineering skills and team dynamics.

What I learnt becoming a tech lead

October 10, 2021

This issue dives into valuable insights for tech leads and leaders, covering learnings from the role transition, effective one-on-one meetings, and strategies for managing legacy software displacement. Don't miss it.

Demos over deadlines

October 03, 2021

This week, we explore the impact of time pressure on team health, the importance of effective feedback, and what managers can do to foster better environments. Plus, insights on product team value and onboarding experiences.

Mobile development at scale

September 26, 2021

This week’s newsletter explores mobile development at scale with insights from industry leaders, project management practices in big tech, coordination models, effective engineering onboarding, and reducing technical debt through smart architectures.

The case for 'Developer Experience'

September 19, 2021

In this issue, we explore the evolving landscape of Developer Experience, the nuances of architectural decision-making, mentorship insights, leadership dynamics, and a guide to mastering distributed compute in Python.