🧠 _

This interview was recorded at GOTO Amsterdam for GOTO Unscripted.
http://gotopia.tech

Read the full transcription of this interview here:
https://gotopia.tech/articles/326

Susanne Kaiser - Independent Tech Consultant & Author of "Architecture for Flow"
James Lewis - Software Architect & Director at Thoughtworks

RESOURCES
Susanne
https://mastodon.social/@suksr
https://twitter.com/suksr
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannekaiser1
https://susannekaiser.net

James
https://twitter.com/boicy
https://linkedin.com/in/james-lewis-microservices
https://github.com/boicy
https://www.bovon.org

DESCRIPTION
Susanne Kaiser, an expert tech consultant, shares her secrets for integrating Wardley mapping, team topologies and domain-driven design to streamline value delivery and boost team effectiveness. The discussion with James Lewis highlights the power of hands-on collaboration, the value of understanding the purpose behind tools, and practical tips for breaking down silos and overcoming analysis paralysis. Tune in to discover how these cutting-edge techniques can transform your approach to organizational change and team dynamics.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Susanne Kaiser • Adaptive Systems With Domain-Driven Design, Wardley Mapping & Team Topologies • https://amzn.to/3XTmNCc
Simon Wardley • Wardley Mapping, The Knowledge • https://amzn.to/3XQEeDu
Simon Wardley • Wardley Maps • https://amzn.to/45U8Upr
Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais • Team Topologies • http://amzn.to/3sVLyLQ
Heidi Helfand • Dynamic Reteaming • https://amzn.to/3Fvu5BA
Eric Evans • Domain-Driven Design • https://amzn.to/3tnGhwm
Gregor Hohpe • Platform Strategy • https://amzn.to/4cxfYdb

Bluesky
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook

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It’s officially the holidays at the Bike Shed! Defrag your hard drives and take a break with Joël and Stephanie as they breakdown different ways to manage your focus during the day.

The pair discuss separating coding time from thinking time when working, the pros and cons of blocking out time for different tasks and clever ways to move seamlessly from one project to the next without losing momentum.

JoĂŤl has some more timezone facts to share, while Stephanie reveals her worst enemy when it comes to productivity.

—

Try out the Pomodoro system in your workflow and let us know if it works for you!

Your hosts for this episode have been thoughtbot’s own Stephanie Minn and Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: [email protected]

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.

Š 2024 thoughtbot, inc.

Support The Bike Shed

Brought to you by:

• Launch Darkly — a platform for high-velocity engineering teams to release, monitor, and optimize great software. 

• Sevalla — Deploy anything from preview environments to Docker images.

• WorkOS — The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS.

—

On today’s episode of The Pragmatic Engineer, I’m joined by fellow Uber alum, Sabin Roman, now the first Engineering Manager at Linear. Linear, known for its powerful project and issue-tracking system, streamlines workflows throughout the product development process.

In our conversation today, Sabin and I compare building projects at Linear versus our experiences at Uber. He shares insights into Linear’s unique approaches, including:

• How Linear handles internal communications

• The “goalie” program to address customer concerns and Linear’s zero bug policy

• How Linear keeps teams connected despite working entirely remotely

• An in-depth, step-by-step walkthrough of a project at Linear

• Linear’s focus on quality and creativity over fash shipping 

• Titles at Linear, Sabin’s learnings from Uber, and much more!

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:41) Sabin’s background

(02:45) Why Linear rarely uses e-mail internally

(07:32) An overview of Linear's company profile

(08:03) Linear’s tech stack

(08:20) How Linear operated without product people

(09:40) How Linear stays close to customers

(11:27) The shortcomings of Support Engineers at Uber and why Linear’s “goalies” work better

(16:35) Focusing on bugs vs. new features

(18:55) Linear’s hiring process

(21:57) An overview of a typical call with a hiring manager at Linear

(24:13) The pros and cons of Linear’s remote work culture

(29:30) The challenge of managing teams remotely

(31:44) A step-by-step walkthrough of how Sabin built a project at Linear 

(45:47) Why Linear’s unique working process works 

(49:57) The Helix project at Uber and differences in operations working at a large company

(57:47) How senior engineers operate at Linear vs. at a large company

(1:01:30) Why Linear has no levels for engineers 

(1:07:13) Less experienced engineers at Linear

(1:08:56) Sabin’s big learnings from Uber

(1:09:47) Rapid fire round

—

The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode:

• The story of Linear, as told by its CTO

• An update on Linear, after their $35M fundraise

• Software engineers leading projects

• Netflix’s historic introduction of levels for software engineers

—

Where to find Sabin Roman:

• X: https://x.com/sabin_roman

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinroman/

Where to find Gergely:

• Newsletter: https://www.pragmaticengineer.com/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mrgergelyorosz

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gergelyorosz/

• X: https://x.com/GergelyOrosz

—

References and Transcripts:

See the transcript and other references from the episode at https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast

—

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

Supported by Our Partner

DX⁠ → DX is an engineering intelligence platform designed by leading researchers

—

In today’s episode of The Pragmatic Engineer, I’m joined by Sean Goedecke, Staff Software Engineer at GitHub. Sean is widely known for his viral blog post, “How I ship projects at big tech companies.” In our conversation, he shares how to successfully deliver projects in large tech companies.

Drawing from his experiences at GitHub and Zendesk, Sean reflects on key lessons learned, and we discuss the following topics: 

• Why shipping cannot exclude keeping management happy

• How to work on stuff the company actually values

• Why you should take on extra responsibility to get projects done

• Why technical skills are still more important than soft skills

• Soft skills you should learn: including learning the “management lingo”

• First-hand remote work learnings: advantages, disadvantages, and how to thrive in this setup

• … and much more!

—

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:50) An explanation of shipping

(05:35) Reasons management may choose to ship something customers don’t love

(09:20) A humbling learning from Sean’s time at Zendesk

(13:27) The importance of learning which rules need to be broken for good business outcomes

(15:28) Common obstacles to shipping

(18:13) DRI: Directly responsible individual

(23:06) The value of strong technical skills and why moving fast is imperative

(28:44) How to leverage your technical skills the right way

(32:16) Advice on earning the trust of leadership

(36:10) A time Gergely shipped a product for a political reason 

(38:30) What GenAI helps software engineers do more easily 

(41:08) Sean’s thoughts on GenAI making engineers more ambitious 

(43:20) The difficulty of building AI tools

(46:10) Advantages of working remotely and strategies for making it work

(52:34) Who is best suited to remote work

(54:48) How the pandemic provided a remote work trial for Sean

(56:45) Rapid fire round

—

The Pragmatic Engineer deepdives relevant for this episode:

• Software Engineers Leading Projects ⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/engineers-leading-projects⁠

• Shipping to production ⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/shipping-to-production⁠

• Paying down tech debt ⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/paying-down-tech-debt⁠

—

See the transcript and other references from the episode at ⁠⁠https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/podcast⁠⁠

—

Production and marketing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://penname.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss The Agile Manifesto, a free-to-read document that has greatly defined the modern software engineering landscape. Join them as they discuss its legacy, how it persists in software engineering today, and whether it was ultimately a good or bad development!

-- Books Mentioned in this Episode --

Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

----------------------------------------------------------

The Agile Manifesto

https://agilemanifesto.org/

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325

X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod

Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan

Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com

----------------

Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week!

The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io

In this episode, Jurgen Appelo discusses his journey from software engineer to agile management expert, emphasizing the importance of pattern libraries over rigid frameworks in organizational development. He explains how organizations can benefit from adopting flexible patterns that allow for adaptability and innovation. Through case studies, he illustrates the successful implementation of these patterns in various companies. The conversation also explores the future of agile management in the context of AI advancements and the evolving job market for software developers.

Jurgen Appelo:

Jurgen helps organizations survive and thrive in the 21st century. He offers the unFIX model for organization design, continuous innovation, and a better human experience.
From 2008, Jurgen wrote a popular blog at NOOP.NL with ideas on agile management and organizational change. He is the author of the best-selling book Management 3.0, which describes the role of the manager in agile organizations; How to Change the World, which describes a supermodel for change management; Managing for Happiness, which offers you practical ideas to engage workers, improve work, and delight clients; and Startup, Scaleup, Screwup, which dives into the major topics that business leaders and entrepreneurs are confronted with throughout the business lifecycle. The fifth book he is working on is the sci-fi novel Glitches of Gods.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgenappelo/

https://unfix.com/

Stellar Work:

Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stellarwork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information about how evolutionary agile transformations work

Make sure to follow us on your podcast player 🔔 as well as on LinkedIn to never miss out on more content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/stellarwork/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sponsors:

This podcast is 100% sponsored by me :)

If you need help with you agile transformation and opting for an evolutionary approach seems like something you want to check out, click here and lets meet: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://calendly.com/benjamin-igna-dcs_/30min⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Note:

Stellar Work Podcast hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.

You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

🤘 Generated Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://suno.com/@stellarwork⁠⁠

Sara describes an exemplary Product Owner who blended curiosity, strategic thinking, and empathy. By understanding team concerns and fostering connection, this PO became a trusted collaborator. Whether strategizing or engaging in team bonding, this PO consistently demonstrated entrepreneurial thinking and alignment with team goals.

A contrasting example involves a PO unable to perform beyond task management due to divided focus and limited availability. Sara reflects on systemic issues and offers tips for collaboration, like defining key moments for engagement and modeling desired behaviors to build alignment between PO and team.

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.

🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.

Buy Now on Amazon

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

About Sara Caldwell

Sara is an organizational anthropologist passionate about human-centered change. She helps organizations tackle tough problems, all while keeping things fun and engaging. Sara blends strategic thinking with empathy, turning challenges into opportunities. Agile values guide her—whether helping teams flow, wrangling her rescue pets, or navigating the complexities of everyday life.

You can link with Sara Caldwell on LinkedIn.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Karthiga shares a team story where metrics like Flow Efficiency were implemented to improve understanding of work processes. Despite leadership support and training, the team became overly focused on “making metrics look good,” reflecting Goodhart’s Law. This led to discussions on aligning the purpose of metrics with improving workflows, not chasing numbers.

Self-reflection Question: Are your team’s metrics driving the right behaviors and outcomes?

Karthiga recommends Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework for its introduction to the Flow Framework and its impact on understanding value stream management. This book transformed her approach to metrics, highlighting bottlenecks and improving flow efficiency. She particularly appreciated its simplicity and practical application in bridging business and technical team gaps.

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.

🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.

Buy Now on Amazon

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

About Karthiga Seturaj

Karthiga is a dedicated Agilist with over 15 years of experience in the software industry. She specializes in coaching agile teams, emphasizing respect, inclusion, accountability, and outcomes. Her journey spans from Scrum Master to Manager of Agile Coaches, transforming teams and driving impactful change.

You can link with Karthiga Seturaj on LinkedIn.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Karthiga discusses an agile transformation involving the adoption of the Flow Framework and Spotify model. With leadership support and tools like Lean Change Canvas, the transition fostered psychological safety, adaptability, and feedback-driven improvement. Key lessons include measuring the current state, establishing clear success criteria, and embracing agility in agile adoption.

Self-reflection Question: How can you ensure psychological safety during major changes in your organization?

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.

🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.

Buy Now on Amazon

[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

 

About Karthiga Seturaj

Karthiga is a dedicated Agilist with over 15 years of experience in the software industry. She specializes in coaching agile teams, emphasizing respect, inclusion, accountability, and outcomes. Her journey spans from Scrum Master to Manager of Agile Coaches, transforming teams and driving impactful change.

You can link with Karthiga Seturaj on LinkedIn.

In this episode of The Shortcu.tt podcast, hosts Morten and Marilag are joined by Casper Jensen, Engineering Director Enterprise Architecture at Pandora.

They discuss Pandora's journey towards improving developer experience and productivity, the transition from project-led to product-led organization, and the challenges and strategies involved in managing a global tech team. Casper also shares insights on the importance of cross-functional collaboration, the impact of a strong engineering culture, and the significance of broadening one's technological scope as a developer.

Key Points:

- Pandora's transition from a project-led to a product-led organization.

- The structure and role of product teams at Pandora.

- The importance of developer experience and the steps Pandora is taking to improve it.

- The challenges of integrating internal and external engineering teams.

- The role of AI in enhancing developer productivity.

- The significance of cross-functional collaboration and understanding different technologies.

- The benefits of broadening one's technological scope for better productivity.

Timestamp:

00:00 Introduction to the podcast and guests

00:45 Overview of Pandora and Casper Jensen's role

06:21 Pandora's developer experience

12:37 The Engineering community at Pandora, and its challenges

16:12 Encouraging cross-functional collaboration

24:00 - Challenges in data discoverability

28:01 Use of Backstage and exploring Kubernetes Space

33:22 Controversial question about mass adoption of technology

36:12 AI's role in developer productivity

39:34 Casper's Shortcu.tt

Connect with Us:

Casper Jensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/casperj/

Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/

Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/