Refactored

By Chris Tonkinson, Frank KoehlTechnology

Refactored episodes

August 17, 2021034: Parallel Career Tracks
Refactored #034: “Parallel Career Tracks”
On this episode of Refactored…
Franks company has built a new Parallel Track Ladder: and spoiler alert, there are NO numbers (e.g. “Developer I,” “Developer II,” etc.)
The guys discuss skills transferrability between individual contribution and management. Are they the same? How much overlap is there?
Chris wants to assess his employees on their ability to fashion improvised weapons.
Frank claims that employees are NOT stupid. What an idiot, amirite?
M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) always cause a lot of turnover. This is documented fact.
Transparency and intentionality are key in growing a team.
Frank says you should build a career ladder if your team is anything over about 20 people.
Chris piles on that you should publish an org chart around that threshhold also.
Radical transparency - is this a good idea? Check out the GitLab Handbook.
Most people agree that Stack Ranking is awful.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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59 min
August 11, 2021033: Policy Is a Shield, Not a Sword
Refactored #033: “Policy is a Shield, Not a Sword”
On this episode of Refactored…
Frank regretfully rescinds his earlier recommendation of Fnatic mice from Refactored 004: Creature Comforts.
Chris regretfully rescinds the show notes from Refactored 004: Creature Comforts because at the time, he confused Fnatic with Fantech and nobody caught the error until now. So, technically, neither is officially endorsed.
Is your RMA program really a marketing expenditure? The guys discuss.
Everyone agrees: customer service is a “case by case basis” business.
Frank explains that people have different ways of gripping their mice. Chris likes his G502 Lightspeed even though the guys agree Logitech has declined from their peak.
Chris repeats his “a little bit of overlap everywhere” matra and then Frank twists it into this whole big DevOps… thing.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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56 min
August 04, 2021032: Is Your Basement a Cloud?
Refactored #032: “Is Your Basement a Cloud?”
On this episode of Refactored…
The guys kvetch about people inadvertently making our highways worse when they think they are helping. Is this low-brow watercooler small talk, or a veiled exploration on the broader topic of unintended consequences represented through allegory using motorists with a hero complex as the contrived plot device? You decide! But also, educate yourself on the Zipper merge.
What does “multi-cloud” mean to you? SalesForce may disagree with your definition.
Frank hates the word “cloud” and debates its essential utility. Chris has a less visceral reaction.
Chris learns a new term: “citizen developer” (relative to things like Excel and Low-Code solutions).
The guys manage to avoid Philosophy Hour after agreeing: If you can’t teach it, you don’t really know it.
The pick of the week is Digital Ocean even though the guys didn’t play the jingle.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
55 min
July 29, 2021031: Bridge the Gap
Refactored #031: “Bridge the Gap”
On this episode of Refactored…
The guys follow-up on the talent shortage. Turns out, there just aren’t enough people.
Frank asserts (as a manager) you probably have good leverage to restructure your overall benefits offering, and Chris voices the corollary that (as an employee) it’s a good time to “shop it around.”
Chris revises the “greenfield” analogy - he thinks a tree is a better metaphor than grass.
Do older developers grow to like legacy products? Or can “damn kids these days” just not see the Matrix?
The guys discuss capitalizable development - do you know what kind of financial engineering happens behind the scenes of your code?
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
1 hr 3 min
July 20, 2021030: Deere John, I Quit
Refactored #030: “Deere John, I Quit”
On this episode of Refactored…
The guys go on vacation… or do they? Frank has the unmitigated gall to practice self-care, while Chris works during PTO to achieve maximum self-flagellation.
Chris thinks he has a bad power supply unit in his PC, and asks Frank for advice.
Frank rails against sales practices that waste his time.
The current technology talent shortage is revisited. Is it “because COVID?” The guys discuss the value in reviewing attrition carefully. Like as in, ya really should.
Saturn (the auto company, not the planet) sucked.
The guys get into a whole Right to Repair thing - iPhones and tractors and Teslas, oh my!
The pick of the week is the Odd Lots podcast.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
55 min
July 06, 2021029: The Great Resignation
Refactored #029: “The Great Resignation”
On this episode of Refactored…
Chris has lots to complain about on Fast Company’s recent article The ‘Great Resignation’ is here. This is how employers should prepare.
Frank has a real bone to pick with those lazy MotherFAANGers from the Silicon Valley.
In older other news, the guys discuss why Google wants to be evil.
Vision, Mission, and Values - are they complete and utter bullcrap? The guys talk straight on past each other:
Chris argues they need to be repeated
Frank argues they need to be worth repeating
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
53 min
June 22, 2021028: Observability
Refactored #028: “Observability”
On this episode of Refactored…
The guys discuss software system observability at some length: infrastructure, application performance, and business transaction monitoring.
Frank vomits in the back of his mouth when Chris says “surfacing revelant insights.”
Chris likes dockprom as a convenient onramp to the Prometheus ecosystem. The guys also discuss Datadog, Splunk, New Relic. Frank jams Google Data Studio into the discussion.
Chris goes full Dad: “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
The guys discuss how the Dunning-Kruger effect and the imposter syndrome impact hiring and team dynamics. Chris rants about the Ship of Theseus, too.
Shockingly, there is discussion about Marvel.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
1 hr 4 min
June 15, 2021027: The Iron Triangle
Refactored #027: “The Iron Triangle”
On this episode of Refactored…
You can’t beat the triple constraint… what’s a tech leader to do? Frank points out that Mother Nature always bats last.
Chris shares his philosophy around avoiding bad suprises.
Frank promises to write an article. When? About what? Will he deliver?
Fred Brooks has entered the chat as the guys indirectly discuss the Mythical Man-Month by quoting “nine women can’t make a baby in one month.”
Chris gets triggered by NIST Special Publication 800-63B 5.1.1.2.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
52 min
June 08, 2021026: Bottom Line Up Front
Refactored #026: “Bottom Line Up Front”
On this episode of Refactored…
The guys agree, your goal should be oriented towards higher-order work.
Office Space killed the term “TPS Report.”
Chris draws a hard line: if it’s not in Git, it doesn’t exist. It’s unclear if he would accept Mercurial or Bazaar as acceptable substitutes.
Frank, reporting live on site from the eye of a hurricane, shares his thoughts on selling a project to your team, and your boss.
They guys proffer that perhaps - just maybe - your boss isn’t a club-wielding troglodyte.
The guys agree: you should probably automate some stuff.
Chris wonders whether “this Chief of Staff thing” is a newer trend, or he’s just been blind.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
55 min
June 01, 2021025: Multitasking Shmultitasking
Refactored #025: “Multitasking Shmultitasking”
On this episode of Refactored…
Multitasking - is it actually a thing? Generally… well, no. No, it’s not. Everyone agrees.
Does your team have to communicate up and down the Chain of Command for everything? You may have a chest-puffy boss or some lame-o teammates.
Chris reveals the true motivation of leadership: taking credit for the work of others.
Chris reveals his secret to professional succes: just don’t do stuff you don’t want to.
Edward G. Verlander has entered the chat as Frank promotes the Practice of Professional Consulting.
The guys vehemently agree, again, that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is worthless. It’s nothing more than astrology for people who like taking tests.
Frank explains more about the CliftonStrengths assessment.
Frank makes a prediction: When Chris takes the CliftonStrength assessment, he and Frank will match on at least three of their top five categories.
The pick of the week is the CliftonStrengths assessment.
… and much more!
Don’t be shy! Reach out at [email protected].
Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Direct link to RSS feed
1 hr 9 min

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A casual, ongoing conversation between two technology leaders with Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.

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Refactored episodes

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