DevOps at is the heart of modern software systems. In my regular newsletter, I dive into the human factors that make successful engineering organizations where teams and platforms thrive at the heart of your socio-technical systems. From leadership to team setup, maximizing performance, tools and techniques.
Wednesday 26th July - On The Road
It's summer season, and I hope you get to go on holiday and enjoy a few well-deserved days away in a relaxing environment.
As I write this, I'm starting to wrap up my work before the summer break. I'm waiting to board a flight to Berlin for the We Are Developers World Congress '23, where I'll present my talk The QUEST for Better Software. I'm on Stage 5, this Friday morning at 10:20 am. If you are in the area, please come down and lend your support!
Vacation time is often when we reflect on the year so far and plan for the season to come. I've been reflecting already on the impact that small steps can make in the world of software engineering and this is reflected in my talk. It focuses on the daily things that we as individuals can do to not only improve the quality and efficacy of our software but also to build a more cohesive and higher-performing team. Success breeds success but it also only takes a few weeks or months to undo a lot of good work. Additionally, while good habits breed good habits, it can take months to see the effects of these especially if the codebase is full of technical debt, poor testing practices and poor design choices. These are the findings that I've made from the first half of 2023. What about you? What have you learnt so far this year? I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to type out a short reply.
Following a short trip to Berlin, I'll be heading off on vacation for a few weeks before starting a new client assignment towards the end of August.
In other news, I'm launching a new service, Team Expert Coaching. These are flexible coaching sessions delivered online for your team (or teams) where I work with developers, testers and POs alike (although mainly aimed at Devs) to improve design and coding skills, focussing on quality, automation and improving confidence, communication and performance. If you're looking to build a high-performing team in your org this could be something for you.
To coincide with the We Are Developers World Congress I'm also offering a 15% discount on your first session. If you're interested in finding out more, please look at the page or reach out if you have any questions.
Many thanks and enjoy a great summer break if you're heading away. If not, then keep up the good work and remember to take your foot off the gas a little!
-- Richard
How to fix the “Failing” Team
Published on July 15, 2023
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Do you have a failing team? Why is it, in your eyes, failing? Is it: Sometimes it seems like an impossible problem. The team is in your eyes failing because it doesn’t deliver, and yet all the (few) people you have on it are busy firefighting. Everyone is doing their best. How can you correct… Read More »How to fix the “Failing” Team
Human DevOps
DevOps at is the heart of modern software systems. In my regular newsletter, I dive into the human factors that make successful engineering organizations where teams and platforms thrive at the heart of your socio-technical systems. From leadership to team setup, maximizing performance, tools and techniques.
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