Software systems rule our world. My regular newsletter explores the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming.
The Human Software 268 - Collective Sigh
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We can all finally breathe a sigh of relief that January is behind us and February moves on apace. Our northern hemisphere days get longer, and before you know it, let's hope we'll be stretching out in the sunshine and enjoying the fruits of our winter's work. I'm making the most of the dark months by keeping my head down and writing. Human Software is now in development edit. What does that mean? As a self-published author, I'm working with an editor to ensure the structure and characters make sense. I've been living with a completed manuscript since last autumn and since sharing the first part with some alpha readers last year, I have been rewriting and adjusting. Doing this alone is hard work and so finally, after much searching, I found Kieran. He's a published author and experienced editor and the impact he is making is already very clear to me. Not least by the fact that I'm tidying and completing all those bits that I would "leave until later". So, things are finally getting real. The next step is to decide whether to actually get physical copies made or not.... the jury is still out. I've shared an early snippet of chapter 5 and once this stage of editing is complete - in late March - I will share some more bits and pieces and be able to update you about publication dates. Many thanks for your continued support! During this period, I'm not finding so much time for my blog but feel free to browse the archives if you need more human/technical thinking. Creating The Best Team CulturePublished on January 28, 2025 Always exhibit the culture that you want to create. I was reminded about this the other day. I was becoming frustrated by a quite brilliant teammate who has the habit of not explaining himself very well or at all. He creates amazing work of very high quality very quickly, but there is little handover. While… Read More »Creating The Best Team Culture
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The Human Software
Software systems rule our world. My regular newsletter explores the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming.
The Horizon Post Office Scandal is one of the biggest IT failures in recent times, directly responsible for thirteen of the wrongly accused taking their own lives after prosecutions were brought against them. There is a highly technical deep dive into the findings made by Computer Weekly in this incredible Corecursive podcast episode. It is worth a detailed listen if you want to understand how this could come about and what systemic failings caused it to be covered up for so long. Software...
Working in software you get to see some pretty stupid stuff. And I mean crazy, stupid stuff. Decisions that float down from on high from multiple disparate spheres of influence - sales teams, other business units or just vice-presidents with a Great New Idea[tm] or a pet project. The narrative goes a little like this - the important people get to make choices and us techies have to live with consequences them. Sometimes these decisions are on a whim, an industry hype, a desperate attempt to...
If you happen to be in London next week then I'll be having a little launch party on Wednesday October 15th. It's not just any pub as well, it's the pub that I used to go to when I was working in my first job in software development thirty years ago in 1995. The famous "Wheatsheaf" just off Oxford Street in London. This was the pub where many conversations got technical and many times got heated. I feel that Peter and Dominic would approve of the location. If you're in the area, please drop...