Hey, my name’s Ian. I’m a Senior Consulting Software Engineer at 8th Light’s Pod Services division. And I have struggled with remote collaboration for a...more.
Often, as well-meaning programming language enthusiasts, we might find ourselves encouraging newcomers with simplified descriptions of language features. There’s sometimes a tricky balance between explaining...more.
"I think if you maintain a force in the world that comes into people's sleep, you are exercising a meaningful power." — Don DeLillo, Underworld...more.
Many companies offshore the development of computer applications or supplement their software teams with remote developers. This arrangement can provide significant cost savings, but other...more.
When taking on a large project, one of the most difficult tasks a software crafter faces is breaking it down into manageable, deliverable pieces. If...more.
In recent years, various code schools have flooded the developer markets with hordes of beginners. These schools have done a great job of introducing people...more.
Communication is hard, especially in the software industry that has, for whatever, reason preferred introverts for decades. That stereotype is slowly eroding, but it doesn’t...more.
Sustainable pace is an early Extreme Programming concept that was intended to protect programmers from going on “death marches” to meet deadlines that are arbitrary...more.
The Project A few years ago, I was tasked with the migration of data across build, staging, and production environments. It was heavy with software...more.
What does it mean to be a software craftsman? You can read the Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship and draw conclusions; but if you posed that...more.
Estimates are a fundamental part of our business. We rely on them to schedule our workflow and to communicate honestly and openly with clients. We...more.
In his recent post, Doug Bradbury claims that aiming for gender equality runs the risk of further homogenizing our culture. Instead, he suggests that we...more.
Doug asked a couple of thought provoking questions in his recent blog post about gender equality: What is unique about women that make them not...more.
Pair programming always works. To explain why, we will take a look at an important study which explains how people learn in social contexts. The...more.
Five years ago, a handful of us nervously deployed a little application that held some pretty lofty ideals for the future of software development. We...more.
We show respect for our customers and fellow software crafters. We do not act unprofessionally or unethically. —from the 8th Light Principles of Productive Partnerships...more.
During the Second World War, both the Japanese and United States armies set up bases on remote islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands’ inhabitants,...more.
In 1826 Marc Isambard Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a father and son engineering team, sought to build a tunnel under the Thames river in...more.
What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is an attentive awareness of the reality of things in the present moment. Learning how to be mindful brings the wisdom...more.
In The Pragmatic Programmer, Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas talk about software entropy and the broken windows theory. The premise of the broken windows theory...more.
As craftsmen, we admire and encourage a sustainable pace. We also encourage ourselves to always be learning, to always be expanding our knowledge and abilities....more.
We partner with our customers to understand their business. We do not propose solutions until we are sure we have found the right problem. —from...more.
We communicate our progress honestly and openly with our customers. We do not conceal or embellish. —from the 8th Light Principles of Productive Partnerships My...more.
Steadily Adding Value We estimate with diligence. We do not let fear or pressure make us promise what we can’t deliver. Estimation is Difficult As...more.
We take responsibility for the correctness of our code by testing it thoroughly. We do not tolerate preventable defects. —from the 8th Light Principles of...more.
We embrace differences of opinion and personality. We do not allow our current practice to impede improvement. —from the 8th Light Principles of A Community...more.
We humbly demonstrate our expertise by delivering quality software. We do not inflate our abilities or claim expertise where we have none. —from the 8th...more.
We always apply our best efforts to complete our work. We do not make excuses. —from the 8th Light Principles of Steadily Adding Value Everyone...more.
We continually master a variety of technologies and techniques. We do not let unfamiliarity dissuade us from using the best tools. —from the 8th Light...more.
If you've ever worked on a software development project under a time crunch, then you may have heard the phrase "mythical man month." This phrase...more.
Have you ever watched an interview with a successful product creator? I have, and lots. Typically the interviewer will ask what mistakes the entrepreneur has...more.
Two years ago, when Agile Alliance started a translation project for their manifesto, I was fortunate enough to be one of the translators of the...more.
You just found your dream home: it’s vastly spacious, a gym-sized pool with twin jacuzzis, a massive home-theater and game room, along with riverside boat...more.
Being wrong sucks. Unfortunately, being wrong is a fact of life for developers. Personally I have chosen the wrong technology for the task at hand,...more.
Being a professional developer means that you are responsible for delivering software on time that works. It's a satisfying job - you solve the problem...more.
This blog is for non-technical people looking to purchase custom software. Purchasing software is very difficult and very expensive. It is a decision that is...more.
Scenario: We are sitting in a planning meeting and a business stakeholder asks one simple question. “How hard would that be?” What answer do we...more.
It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind , too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. Charles Darwin...more.
I interviewed a bright young woman today who is graduating from high school this spring among the top of her class. Despite having several generous...more.
Lately I've been fascinated with the idea of logical fallacies, and especially problems in arguments that may at first glance seem reasonable. Now, clearly not...more.
Many of us admire other professionals, such as musicians and athletes. We even emulate them in our own profession by practicing. What about that time...more.
The Statistics of IT projects going over budget and over schedule are alarming. According to an exhaustive study of over 1400 IT projects from the...more.
Time and materials vs. fixed bid is the classic duo of billing models in software services business. Time and materials puts all the pressure on...more.
The 2011 SCNA (Software Craftsmanship North America) conference concluded just a few days ago, and there was a large audience turnout as well as an...more.
I remember in my times as a restaurant worker that the management would always give us these rhyming platitudes that were after-school-special cheesy. One of...more.
One of the habits that’s valued highly at 8th Light, and should be valued by professional developers everywhere, is the habit of practice. If you're...more.
This February 13th will mark a decade since the creation and signing of the original Agile Manifesto. The lean development thought leaders who came together...more.
Many small software contracting companies (boutiques) have been popping up in the last few years with our company, 8th Light, featuring among them. Their fundamental...more.
Craftsmanship has been used as a metaphor for software development. Pete McBreen argues in his book “Software Craftsmanship” that craft is a better metaphor for...more.
My path in becoming a craftsman was not through conventional academics. I did get a Bachelor degree in Computer Science. During those years of learning,...more.
At 8th Light, they follow a practice of training people through an apprenticeship period. As it is nearing the end of my apprenticeship, my mentor...more.
There has been an interesting discussion happening about adding a 5th value statement to the Agile Manifesto. Uncle Bob Martin proposed this addition earlier this...more.
I have three step-children and I rarely promise them anything. It’s not because I’m a horrible father, but because a promise is a fundamentally special...more.
There is no perfect software. At least I have never seen it. Bugs and minor feature changes are indications people are using your software. Real...more.
One of the famous studies on peer pressure was the Stanford prison experiment, conducted by a team of researchers led by then Psychology professor Philip...more.
The most widespread and common greeting in the American culture is the handshake. Handshakes are shared between anyone meeting for the first time, and at...more.
What is building software like? The common belief is that software is like engineering. Most people seem to think that building a software system is...more.