A world of systems
Systems rule our lives in ways that aren’t always obvious. These can be massive systems, like the economy. These can be small systems, like the way your favorite restaurant runs their kitchen, or even your morning routine.
We live within these systems, but rarely stop to think about them deeply. To some extent, this makes sense. What impact are you going to have on the stock market’s trading system standing in the shower? We go along with our lives, but the harsh reality is that these systems are all questionably functional at best. That is, they rarely serve the people within them effectively.
By better understanding how systems work, we can reflect on the systems we live in and work to improve them. Helping people understand these systems is a primary goal of Questionably Functional.
Technology leadership
As I’ve progressed in my career, one thing became abundantly obvious: once you get out of your early career guidance in this industry dries up very quickly. Early on, there are dozens of books and YouTube channels you can learn from, but as you get into the complexities of organizing, inspiring, and developing people, they dry up. Sure, there are books like Radical Candor that can teach you some tricks, but at the end of the day, you’re on your own. I’ll be sharing strategies I’ve used personally when leading software teams to keep people engaged and growing.
Software quality
Building quality software is fairly well understood, but balancing it against competing demands of cost and time can be deeply challenging. The right tradeoff often depends on your existing software, your business, and your organization’s needs. Finding the right mixture is more an art than a science, and one I’ve become fairly adept at. I’ll be reviewing examples of tradeoffs I’ve had to make along with what led me to bias towards a particular solution.
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