Stabilizing Inherited Software: My First-Week Checklist
Inherited a live codebase with no one left who built it? Here's the checklist I run through in week one — before touching a single feature.
Posts tagged “practices”
14 posts.
Fresh Eyes on a Cucumbered Team
There's a term for what happens when you've been on a team so long you stop noticing its quirks: you've been cucumbered. Here's what fresh eyes can (and can't responsibly) do about it.
Using Google Sheets to Catalog Expenses for Budgeting Considerations
This is how I catalog my planned expenses when reviewing personal budget scenarios. Google sheet and video demo attached.
On Asking Multiple Questions
Some notes on asking people multiple questions in a single message and how it can go south quickly.
My Standup Format
There is an async standup format I've been using for over a year now, and since it seems to be sticking, I figured I'd take a moment to share it and explain why I like it.
Recent Estimating Work Notes
The goal of this estimate is to, in a time-boxed format, create a framework for more meaningful discussions to happen. These numbers should not be looked at as facts but shape those first steps of discovery.
The Importance of Side Project Tiny Tickets
Deep work programming sessions are hard to come by. Find tiny ways to move your side project forward during the cracks of life.
Budget Revisit 2022
I'll share how I collect and organize my numbers, and hopefully, it will inspire you to revisit or improve your budgeting solution.
Don't Waste My Time (Video 2m)
A few thoughts on cutting to the chase in videos for an online audience.
A Screencast about Building Screencasts: How I Built the Guildflow 70-second Introduction Video
I generalize the term screencast here as any video where you see primarily a computer or user interface, with a voice and optional video feed of a person doing some kind of demonstration.
Video: How I Use OmniFocus to Track Tasks (12m)
I've been a fan of Getting Things Done and a casual user of OmniFocus for years, mostly focusing on long term projects. For weekly stuff I used to do a manual list in Bear but a few weeks ago I took the time to see if I …
My Favorite TextExpander Shortcut Snippets
I added a new one today, for the common need to convert a title-like string into a filename-friendly one.
My New Experiment: Journaling All the Things
At CocoaConf I attended a session from my fellow Big Nerd Ranch coworker, Mark Dalrymple. In this session he explored the questions we ask when looking for bugs — or more specifically their solutions. At one point Mark …
Managing Remote Teams
Local company Wildbit has been nice enough to host a running series of meetup events focused on running a software business and all that it can entail. Last night we discussed Managing Remote Teams and as a remote …