Welcome to Getting to Zero, a podcast about digging into the biggest problems in software development and figuring out how people are solving them. Today, we're joined by Fabruce Bernhardt, CTO and co-founder of Theodo, a large software consultancy firm, and co-author of "The Lean Tech Manifesto."

Guest Bio:

Fabrice Bernhardt has forged an impressive career as the CTO and co-founder of Theodo, a consultancy firm with more than 700 employees and revenues surpassing $100 million. A respected thought leader and author, he shares his expertise in "The Lean Tech Manifesto." In his manifesto, he explains how to accelerate delivery and scale innovation within just one year. Bernhardt's insights into enhancing product development and maintaining agility across numerous teams have established him as a crucial figure in the modern tech landscape.

Show Notes:

00:01:00 - Biggest Problem in Product Development

The main challenge in product development, according to Fabrice, is maintaining agility while scaling. As organisations grow, they face significant issues with coordination and dependency management among multiple teams, which can hinder overall productivity and delivery.

00:02:00- Pain Points in Scaling Teams

Fabrice highlights that as teams scale, they often encounter problems such as an overload of internal work, code maintenance, and a lack of innovation. These issues stem from the need for extensive coordination efforts across numerous teams, which can slow down development processes.

00:07:00 - Implementing Lean Principles in Software Development

Lean principles like Kanban can help visualise bottlenecks and lead times. Fabrice explains how properly using Kanban allows teams to see work in progress and identify areas where improvements are needed to enhance delivery speed and quality.

00:10:00 - Right First Time Approach

The Right First Time approach focuses on detecting defects early in the development process. Fabrice emphasises the importance of continuous integration and early defect detection practices to maintain high-quality standards and reduce the need for extensive bug fixing later.

00:16:00 - Cultural Shift for Built-in Quality

Adopting a culture focused on built-in quality and systematic defect analysis is crucial. Fabrice explains how this cultural shift can improve team knowledge, reduce recurring issues, and foster continuous improvement in software development.

00:21:00 - Problem Solving Culture

Fabrice highlights the significance of fostering a problem-solving culture within organisations. By adopting a scientific approach to problem-solving, teams can systematically identify issues, formulate hypotheses, and experiment with solutions to drive continuous improvement.

00:25:00- Team Autonomy and Dependencies

Achieving team autonomy while managing dependencies is challenging. Fabrice advocates for full-stack teams and effective boundary management to reduce dependencies and enhance delivery efficiency. He shares examples of successful implementations and the importance of good APIs.

00:28:00 - Overcoming Organisational Resistance

Building trust and addressing anxiety in empowering teams is crucial. Fabrice suggests providing clear context and communication to reassure leadership and teams, ensuring they understand their roles and have the support needed to succeed.

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