Roasting Marshmallows

Does your IT-department not deliver?

Are there always new bugs introduced with each release?

Have you missed opportunities because your software is too old to support new features?

If this sounds familiar, you are probably looking to fix your IT-department. Maybe you're looking to hire an extra manager to ensure all processes are being followed. Before you do that though, listen to this episode of scoutcast, where we discuss the pain points described above, and how to tackle those! Hint: Not by hiring more managers

IT is never the problem, it is a symptom. There usually is an underlying root cause. Which one is it? We will try to point you in the right direction!

For the longest time, more cost effective labor in other countries has always attracted companies to try and manufacture their products there for a more economic way of doing things.

This is no different for software development. However, especially among developers, there was and still is some resistance with hiring outside help. But currently, due to corona, everyone is working remotely, so what does it matter if you are situated in a different country?

And this is what we are talking about on this episode: Onshore, nearshore or offshore: Are you unsure which one is right for you?

We are roasting Marshmallows with CTO Arjan Kolkman: how does he successfully outsource his development?

Do you feel satisfied with your accomplishments in life? 

Are you where you want to be?

A surprising amount of people will say “no” to these questions — and you might be one of them. 

People who haven’t made satisfactory progress in life often fail to reach their goals — because they’re stuck inside their comfort zones.

What are the good and bad things about being in the comfort zone? On this episode of roasting marshmallows, we will talk about how we sometimes find ourselves stuck in the comfort zone and what we do to step out of it to hopefully become a better ourselves. 

Many teams that develop a product nowadays feel like it's a bit like building a space ship only for it to be launched in a black hole.

All this work is done to build something awesome, but they never really know if it is of value to the customer. Are they building The Right Thing, and are they building it Right?

What does a modern software development company look like and what do they do? 

Spoiler alert: it's not about the programming language, tabs versus spaces, or Subversion versus git: it's about people, teams, communication and of course best practices, for example having a CI/CD pipeline in place as early as possible. You also don't need to have a greenfield environment to start doing modern software development. 

The stuff we discuss in this podcast can be applied today in your current codebase! 

Do your people know what business your company really is into?

What is it that you do?

The answers might scare you.

There are a lot of things that can (and frequently do) go wrong inside of a business. Sales fall through, products don't work, team members get frustrated, and clients get upset. Often, these things happen due to a single reason: lack of organizational clarity.In this episode of Roasting Marshmallows, we are navigating the organizational clutter with Michiel Toes, CEO of NetYCE, and how he gets his people on the same page and talking the same language.

#clarity #ceo #success #team #organizationalclarity #smooth #sailing

Everyone wants their team to be high performant. The idea of one cohesive unit, working in harmony with one another, that are highly focused on their goals and deliver superior business value is of course very appealing.

But what does it take to cultivate a high-performance team? One of the foundations is trust and respect. 

Today on Roasting Marshmallows, we will share with you our experiences in building this trust and respect with you. We do this, among other things, by getting naked with each other. This does not mean we regularly take showers as a team, but that when you let people see you for who you really are, you can make real connections and build trust. Given the competitive nature of business, this is a lot easier said than done.

Do your colleagues know you, really? 

Have you ever wondered why your team is taking so long delivering new features? They are all behind their screen, headphones on, wired in, focused, programming. Why are they taking so long?

Today on Roasting Marshmallows, we are sitting down with Woody Zuill, co-author of the book on mob programming, and he believes we can always find a way to improve by rapidly taking countless, continuous tiny steps in the direction of "better".

The accumulation of these tiny steps leads to many wonderful things.

On this episode, you will find out that working as a team can be many times more productive, and a lot more fun, and who better to learn it from than the founding father himself: Woody Zuill

Woody's website: woodyzuill.com

Woody on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/woodyzuill/

Woody on twitter: twitter.com/woodyzuill

Mob programming book: leanpub.com/mobprogramming

What do you get when you put a Brazilian, Macedonian, Indian and Dutch person together and let them have a conversation about their cultures for an hour?

Culture shock, culture clash but also melting pot material! Which culture is the best? Is there even such a thing? Surely one culture must have the best food!?

At FourScouts we already have a diverse representation of different cultures, but for todays episode we have invited someone from India, currently living in Amsterdam. Anikta Sahni is joining us today to give you her background and experience living in the Netherlands.

What does everyone like, and dislike, about their own culture, traditions and customs?

What is your cultural background? What are you most proud of?

Have you ever considered going freelancing? Or does being part of something greater than yourself sound more appealing? Today we roasting marshmallows with Michiel Rook, a passionate and pragmatic freelance IT consultant.

In the past, Michiel has joined several companies, including FourScouts, so he has seen his fair share of both freelancing and working at a company. Today, we will discuss with him the pros and cons of being a freelancer, and why he chose freelancing over being part of a company. 

If you're considering going to freelance, listen to this podcast!

Michiel's website: https://www.michielrook.nl

Michiel on twitter: https://twitter.com/michieltcs