Articles for category: Drive

August 30, 2021

Greg Thomas

Estimation Expectations

We use estimations to determine when we are delivering work, what needs to be done, and why. What often gets missed is understanding what the expectations are for the estimations that are being given. What is it exactly that people are looking for? (And why?) A few answers; How well do you understand the problem? How confident are you in what you are delivering? Are you building the right thing? Have you thought of “other stuff”? Who needs to see this estimate? Why do they need to see it? Does this line up with what is being asked? You’ll never

August 27, 2021

Greg Thomas

We Can Code Anything

I once worked with someone who would start complex problem/requirements discussions with this statement. It immediately set the room and easy while at the same time getting us all pumped up for a challenge. “WE CAN CODE ANYTHING” Those four words conveyed so much… We’ll figure this out. I have confidence in everyone’s abilities in the room. We can do this together. We might not know the answer, but we know the path to get there. I have faith. Not only is it something fun to say, but it just makes so much sense, as a software development team –

August 26, 2021

Greg Thomas

I Love API Development

I love coding against APIs that other people have written. I think part of it is the entire idea around someone giving you a view into their world and how to do things within it and then you as a developer being able to connect that view to other views (APIs) that people have built. It’s that big wide-open connection of libraries that is just so completely interesting to see and work with. I say this because I think in any aspect of software development, you need to have a favourite thing that you do. A piece of code that

August 22, 2021

Greg Thomas

Performance Tuning is Bonkers

If you have never had to performance tune your own code, you’re missing out. There is no greater satisfaction than watching your code run more efficiently and better than it did before. The best thing about performance tuning is the metrics for measurement are simple – go faster and don’t consume more than what you are already taking. If you can do those two things, your code is running better than it did before while accomplishing the same task it did before. You don’t need expensive tools to get the job done but you need an objective and humbling eye

August 15, 2021

Greg Thomas

Why are we late?

If you can’t answer that question without pointing the conversation to some part of you as the Development Manager of a release that is late then here is the message you are projecting. It’s not us, it’s them (despite being on the same team). We didn’t screw up, everyone else did. This is there problem, not ours. It’s out of my hands. You might not want to be saying that, but you are. If you are part of a release, you have a hand in it. If you have a hand in it going well, you have a hand in