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The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

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Product Vision, Agile, and Going to the Moon

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Vision:
(noun)
a vivid mental image, especially a fanciful one of the future.

A Clear Vision

Everyone who lived before witnessing the Apollo 11 mission on July 20th, 1969, could only dream of touching the Moon. In 1865, Jules Verne, a French novelist, had that dream in the form of a novel that he titled "From the Earth to the Moon." He told a story of a group of gun enthusiasts and their attempts to build an enormous space gun to launch three people to the Moon.

It took 104 more years for … [Read more...] about Product Vision, Agile, and Going to the Moon

Avoid Design by Committee: Generate Apart, Evaluate Together

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The tech industry thrives on innovation. Building innovative software products requires constant design and architecture of creative solutions. In that context, I am not a fan of design by committee; in fact, I believe that it is more of a disease than a strategy. It afflicts teams with no leadership or unclear leadership; the process is painful, and the results are abysmal.

Usability issues plague software products designed by committee. Such products look like collections of features stuck … [Read more...] about Avoid Design by Committee: Generate Apart, Evaluate Together

9 Software Engineering Career Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs

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Taking risks and making mistakes is part of the learning path to greatness. Failing quickly and often is a hallmark of success. Nevertheless, aiming to avoid making the same mistake more than once should be somewhere high on your priority list.

Personal experience is the most powerful way to learn. But, knowledge acquired through other people’s experiences can shortcut your way to success and save significant pain. In particular, being aware of common mistakes that other people make can prevent … [Read more...] about 9 Software Engineering Career Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs

11 Books All Software Engineers Must Read

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When I started coding back in 1984, there wasn’t much literature available to guide me on my learning path. One of my issues was that I was in Italy and I didn’t know a word of English. It is possible that there were books available in English, but the selection of Italian translations was insufficient. I got the majority of my early knowledge from a few translated programming books and some technical magazines.

Among the translations that were available in Italian, I remember some of the early … [Read more...] about 11 Books All Software Engineers Must Read

Making babies, emotions and code reviews

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Making a baby by typing code

A man approaches you holding a baby. He looks at the bundle with loving eyes before turning his gaze to you. “What do you think?”, he says, “He is my baby! I bathed him, dressed him and brushed his hair. I just finished, barely in time for the deadline. Isn’t he beautiful? What do you think?”

You study the child for a few minutes, without saying a word. The man waits, standing in front of you, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, moving his gaze from you … [Read more...] about Making babies, emotions and code reviews