~ Context ~

That's the way it is

How you describe a situation has a lot of impact on how you approch it. Do you take away or give yourself agency?

K. I. S. S.

We think we want a one size fits all solution because it will be easier and save time. But it never does.

Skill Vs. Experience

Knowing how to do something doesn’t mean you know when or where you should do it. Or even if you should. That’s the difference between skill and experience.

Strong opinions, Loosely Held

Have an opinion. Defend it. Defend other’s options. Be willing to change your mind.

It's A Trap

All languages are not equal. You should use the language you’re using.

Radiating Information

No one reads those automated status emails. You’ve got to radiate the information

Perspective

Where you are influences not just what you see, but how you see it.

Three More Tells

Tell em 3 times applies to more than presentations. It works in design too.

How Buildings Learn

Can you design for change and re-use? Should you? Isn’t doing one thing and doing it well the goal?

Seeing Like a State

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of seeing like a state. It’s also not very helpful.

Fly Like An Eagle

Time is hard. When you find out about something is just as important as when it actually happened. So you need to track ALL of the details.

Milestones Vs. Steppingstones

You need to know where to step before you can worry about how far you’ve come.

Average Practice

Eventually what was a best practice in one situation turns into an average practice for the industry.

Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa

I got my attribution wrong, and you probably did too, but the point is just as valid.

The Audience Is Listening

Of course the audience is listening. So what are you doing?

Done Done

Knowing when you’re done is just as important as knowning what to do.

Engineering Project Risks

There are many types of risks for a software project. New projects/teams have their own in addition.

E_INSUFFICIENT_CONTEXT

It Depends is human for the lack of context error code.

Pass or Fail?

Why do students pass or fail tests, but software tests pass or fail?

Breaker Breaker Rubber Duck

You can rubber duck too much, but please, take a moment to think about the problem before you give up trying.

The Developer's Journey

Is the developer’s journey one of the 7 basic plots?

What's an Internal Customer?

How to get from someone from partner to customer

Consensus vs. Consent

There IS a difference between the two. Make sure you’re going for the one you need.

Starting vs. Finishing

Why does focusing on finishing rather than starting get more done?

Customers vs. Partners

Do you have customers or partners? The difference really does matter.

Best Practices and Cargo Cults

Don’t blindly copy what others, even successful others, are doing.

Traditions

Tradition is more than just doing what your ancestors did

TAD vs. TDD

There is a difference between testing before and after coding

Software Development Is A Social Activity

We aspire to uncouple with clear boundaries, but we need to work together

Careers Pt 3 - Visualizing Progressions

Visualizing your career progression to manage your career

Careers Pt 2 – Breaking Down Scope

Understanding what scope of influence means in practice

Careers Pt 1 - Levels

Level is really a proxy of scope of influence