Articles for category: Drive

October 9, 2019

Greg Thomas

(Code)Blocked

You might not know it, but for a while, I was (Writer)Blocked. Couldn’t think of anything new to write. Was tired with what was out there that I was reading. Thought everything that had been said had already been said. Couldn’t get started. It made me think of how many times I sat down to start a new project and stared at the screen as it asked me what I wanted to name my class for the umpteenth time. Did I know what to call it? Did it sound any better than what it was before? Would it really matter

October 7, 2019

Greg Thomas

Half of Nothing

The beginning of a Sprint and/or Release are exciting times, everyone wants to jump on every feature and story and get them done. Mid-way through either though, we start to realize that we are not going to be able to deliver it all and now we are left with a bunch of half-completed work items. It’s not a great feeling and it’s one Agile/Scrum is supposed to eliminate but still, there’s that pesky feeling we all have that “we can do it”. I know it, I get it all the time. I was having this conversation with a project manager

October 4, 2019

Greg Thomas

All the Things a Great Developer Can Do

If you’re looking to be a Great Developer, here’s what you need to get started. Need Project Management Skills Need Requirement Skills Need People Management Skills Need QA Skills Need to know what to automate and when to start automating Need to have an eye on the future Need to be able to sell your solution to your team and customers Need to be prepared Need to stay up late Need to wake up early in the morning Need to manage your time Need to budget your expenses Need to plan for vacation (we don’t need any more burnouts) Need

October 2, 2019

Greg Thomas

It’s Not the Late Nights

They aren’t going to kill you. Or the early mornings. Or everything in between. None of that is going to stop your idea from seeing the light of day. From getting your code out there into the wild for people to use. The only thing that’s going to stop it, that might kill it, is if you stop working on it because you’re worried about the Late Nights, the early mornings and everything in between.

October 1, 2019

Greg Thomas

Deliver your Code Like a Comedian

Have you ever watched old material from your favourite Comedians? What was the first thing you noticed? “I’ve heard this one before.” Now you might be thinking that you’ve been gypped and it’s not fair that you’re seeing your favourite Comedian do the same joke but what you should be watching for are the differences. Between their old and new what do you notice? The delivery is better? The joke is more fine-tuned? There is a greater pause for effect from when the joke is delivered to when it’s “really” delivered? The Comedian knows when to wait for the audience