Robby speaks with Dr. Michaela Greiler, Founder and Trainer at Awesome Code Review Workshops. They discuss the importance of taking time to revisit past technical decisions, what is/isn't technical debt, as well as the distinction between protecting the quality of the code and expanding the knowledge of what is changing in a software codebase. Dr. Greiler also talks about some mistakes that engineers make when conducting code reviews. She also shares helpful tips on how to provide meaningful fee...
Jun 14, 2021•41 min•Ep. 103
Robby speaks with Mark Kilby, Distributed Agile Guide and Founder at K5 Labs. They discuss the benefits of healthy and reliable automated tests, symptoms of when things are not working, challenges that teams may face in different types of remote working scenarios, and what effective communication looks like amongst team members. Mark also gives advice on things to consider as an Agile coach and how to build your Agile toolbox. Helpful Links Mark's Website Mark on Twitter [Book Recommendation] Th...
May 24, 2021•53 min•Ep. 102
Robby speaks with Kevin Stewart, VP of Engineering at Harvest. They discuss fighting ideological battles, why time-to-deploy is one of the most valuable metrics to measure and improve, and why teams should be revisiting their technical stack decisions. Kevin also gives advice to developers and shares some approaches to running internship programs. Helpful Links Kevin's Website leaddev.com Kevin on Twitter Kevin on LinkedIn Careers at Harvest [Book Recommendation] The Hard Thing About Hard Things...
May 19, 2021•51 min•Ep. 101
Robby speaks with Ken Fogel, College Instructor, JCP EC member, and Java Champion. They discuss the benefits of unit testing, how Dawson approaches internship placement, and the importance of code documentation. Ken also talks about how software is about more than just getting things to work, and why it's important to focus on the long-term impact of coding decisions. Helpful Links Omnijava.com Ken's Twitter Dzone Article Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "M...
May 10, 2021•48 min•Ep. 100
Robby speaks with Murray Steele, Engineering Manager at CLEO AI. They discuss approaches to tracking down unused code in your system, working as a consultant vs within a product company, and why technical debt is good. Murray also talks about why we need to be cautious when we discuss prototypes and the importance of community sharing experiences of helping co-organize London Ruby User Group. Helpful Links Murray's Website Murray's Twitter Murray's LinkedIn London Ruby User Group CLEO IA job ope...
Apr 26, 2021•59 min•Ep. 98
Robby speaks with Dr. Felienne Hermans, Author and Associate Professor at Leiden University. They discuss the importance of building mental models, the difference between short-term and working memory, and how to take control of your own onboarding by confirming assumptions and asking effective questions. Dr. Felienne also talks about steps to understand a new-to-you codebase, as well as exercises to improve how you read code. Helpful Links Dr. Felienne's Website Dr. Felienne's Twitter The Progr...
Apr 19, 2021•49 min•Ep. 97
In this episode of Maintainable , Robby Russell sits down with Bertold Kolics, Software Quality Manager at mabl , to discuss the critical role of automated testing, the challenges of maintaining legacy code, and the art of pruning dead code from your software projects. With a focus on enabling teams and fostering maintainable software, Bertold provides practical insights into how developers and testers can work together to keep codebases lean, healthy, and efficient. Episode Highlights [00:05:32...
Apr 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 96
Robby speaks with Kent C. Dodds, software engineer and teacher. They discuss the benefits of duplication, Kent's journey to becoming an educator, and what it's like managing a community of engineers. Kent also talks about flipping the test pyramid upside down and focusing on fewer, longer tests. Helpful Links Kent's Podcast Kent's Twitter Kent's LinkedIn https://epicreact.dev/ https://testingjavascript.com/ https://kentcdodds.com https://kentcdodds.com/discord https://kentcdodds.com/podcast http...
Apr 07, 2021•47 min•Ep. 95
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 06 Robby speaks with Mark Adams, who is known by his friends and family as, "Mark." On this episode, he shares his lessons from having attended Burning Man several times, taking care of your infant's nails, and bridging the gap when two people move-in together and need to intermix their nail tools. Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts. Join the discussion in the Maintainable Disc...
Apr 01, 2021•16 min
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 05 Robby speaks with Amy Michelle Sorensen, former NedX speaker and self-described "nails for life" coach. Amy digs into her research findings from a several year study on wine and nails, long-term care, supplements, and navigating remote nail coaching during a global pandemic. Helpful Links Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts. Join the discussion in the Maintai...
Apr 01, 2021•16 min
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 04 Robby speaks with Logan Luke Tyler Tanner, acclaimed motivational life coach, author, and speaker. Logan Luke Tyler shares his rationale for why it's important to focus, first, on clean nails and then to focus on the additional layers, overcoming nail biting, and the future of keyboards. Helpful Links Bio LinkedIn Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts. Join the discussion in th...
Apr 01, 2021•19 min
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 03 Robby speaks with Erica Tafavoti, food blogger, beverage temperature conisseur, and podcast host. Erica shares her perspective on maintenance before sporting, those awkward, tender...moments, mental health during before and during a global pandemic, getting the perfect hand photo, and discuss her new podcast. Helpful Links Bio LinkedIn Podcast: Unwell with Erica Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever yo...
Apr 01, 2021•21 min
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 02 Robby is joined by eccentric billionaire inventor and voice actor Duncan Thorpe, broadcasting from a secret island off the coast of Northern Europe. Together, they take listeners on a deeply unhinged (yet disturbingly logical?) journey into the tyranny of mammalian nail maintenance and the radical future of nail replacement. 🔍 Episode Highlights [00:00:00] Welcome and Introductions: Robby introduces Duncan Thorpe and sets the tone for a conversation that qui...
Apr 01, 2021•22 min
Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 01 Robby speaks with Shannon Jackson about existing in the life you have vs the one you want, long-term maintenance, the benefits of stickers, remote consultations, frito dust, and gutter nails that don't belong to you. Helpful Links Bio LinkedIn [Book Recommendation] Untamed, Glennon Doyle Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts. Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Comm...
Apr 01, 2021•19 min
In this episode of Maintainable, Robby is joined by Brian Scanlan, Principal Systems Engineer at Intercom . Brian shares insights into how Intercom has successfully implemented a volunteer-led on-call support system, emphasizing the importance of meaningful alarms and a consistent software environment. Summary of Topics [00:05:32] Introduction to the Guest's Background: Brian Scanlan discusses his role at Intercom and his experience with on-call practices. [00:15:10] Developing a Volunteer-Led O...
Mar 29, 2021•53 min•Ep. 94
Robby speaks with Alexandre Omeyer, Co-founder and CEO of Stepsize. They discuss how high-quality software requires team ownership, some traits of well-maintained software, and the different sizes of technical debt. Alexandre also shares advice on how engineers can step up and take action today. Helpful Links Stepsize's Website Stepsize on Twitter Alexandre on Twitter [Book Recommendation] Drive, Daniel H. Pink Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable...
Mar 22, 2021•51 min•Ep. 93
Robby speaks with Roopak Venkatakrishnan, Engineering Manager at Bolt. They discuss why it's important to document the weird things and strategies for keeping your system easy to begin developing in. Roopak also talks about why we end up with silos of knowledge and how to alleviate that problem. Helpful Links Roopak's Website Roopak on Twitter Roopak on LinkedIn Swissknife CircleCI orb Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your...
Mar 15, 2021•49 min•Ep. 92
Robby speaks with Benjamin Wood, CEO and Co-Founder of Hint. They discuss the importance of being able to iterate quickly, and the optimal code-to-test ratios. Benjamin also talks about the pros and Cons of using Monkey Patching, as well as suggestions for where to prioritize tests on a legacy Ruby on Rails application. Helpful Links Hint.io Github.com/hintmedia/railsdock Benjamin on Twitter [Book Recommendation] The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcast...
Mar 08, 2021•42 min•Ep. 91
Robby speaks with Johanna Rothman, President at Rothman Consulting Group, Inc. They discuss traits of healthy teams, how to respond to colleagues who vent and/or complain to you, and strategies for growing a team. Johanna also talks about the importance of understanding that moving into management is a career change vs a promotion. Helpful Links Johanna on LinkedIn Johanna on Twitter Johanna's Website [Book Recommendation] 7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change, Ester Derby [Book Recommendation...
Mar 02, 2021•54 min•Ep. 90
Robby speaks with Helen Scott, Java Developer Advocate at Jet Brains. They discuss tips on how to measure team satisfaction, what is/isn't technical debt, and the impact of being remote during a pandemic. Helen also talks about her background as a software engineer and being a technical writer. Helpful Links Helen on LinkedIn Helen on Twitter Helen's Website [Book Recommendation] Word Perfect: Curious Coinages and Etymological First Aid For Every Day of the Year, Susie Dent Subscribe to Maintain...
Feb 24, 2021•38 min•Ep. 89
Robby speaks with Robert Kaufman, Senior Partner at Notch8 and Cofounder of LEARN Academy. They discuss the importance of treating software development as a craft, tips on helping peers troubleshoot via pairing, and how technical debt can be used as an excuse. Robert also talks about keeping a healthy junior to senior ratio (2:1) and how to be a good guest in another team's codebase. Helpful Links Learn Academy Notch8 Blog Robert on Twitter Robert on GitHub [Book Recommendation] Brain Rules, Joh...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 88
Robby speaks with Heidi Helfand, Director of Product & Technology Excellence at Procore Technologies. They discuss how to reduce fear when making changes, understanding the importance of supporting roles for technical teams, and why we should all keep a living document that lists all of our accomplishments. Heidi also talks about different ways to benchmark a team and how to build alliances. Helpful Links Heidi's book Heidi on Twitter Heidi's Website [Book Recommendation] Crucial Conversatio...
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 87
Robby speaks with Jutta Eckstein; coach, consultant, trainer, speaker, and author. They discuss the importance of being able to deliver continuously, the difference between technical debt and gold plating, and the challenges of synchronous vs asynchronous communication during a global pandemic. Jutta also talks about why teams need to consider the carbon footprint of their cloud infrastructure and doing what we can to reduce e-waste. Helpful Links Jutta's Website Jutta on LinkedIn Jutta on Twitt...
Feb 02, 2021•54 min•Ep. 86
Robby speaks with John Cech, Senior Ruby on Rails Engineer at Planet Argon. They discuss examples of technical debt, how John catapulted his professional development via mentoring, and the benefits of having consistent coding conventions as a team. John also talks about how he helped a software project increase test coverage while also reducing the speed to run them. Helpful Links More About John [Book Recommendation] 1Q84, Haruki Murakami Subscribe to Maintainable on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Sp...
Jan 25, 2021•44 min•Ep. 85
Robby speaks with Theresa Neate, Director of Quality Engineering at Slalom Build Australia. She shares an overview of the Quality Engineer role, why quality isn't something you can assure in software, and why we shouldn't hire junior developers and toss them into a testing role. Helpful Links [Book] The DevOps Handbook by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis [Book] 97 Things Every Cloud Engineer Should Know: Collective Wisdom from the Expert Follow Theresa on Twitter Theresa's w...
Jan 19, 2021•49 min•Ep. 84
Robby speaks with Michael Springer, Software Engineer at JazzHR. They discuss the importance (and challenge) of naming things in your code, how to adopt a package vetting procedure as a team, and strategies to simplify comprehension for new team members. Michael also shares the long-term impact on all dependencies and their dependencies. Helpful Links Michael on Twitter Sprngr.com [Book Recommendation] Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport Subscribe to Maintaina...
Jan 11, 2021•51 min•Ep. 83
Robby speaks with Jason Swett, Software Engineer at Meadows Eye. They discuss the value of understandability, differences between loose and tight coupling in code, and creating a shared vision as a team. Jason also discusses how teams struggle to retain quality engineers and how to teach testing to Ruby on Rails developers. Helpful Links Jason on Twitter Jason's Website The Rails with Jason Podcast [Book Recommendation] How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie Subscribe to Mainta...
Jan 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 82
Robby speaks with Sudhir Reddy, VP of Engineering at Chef / Progress. They discuss what Sudhir calls "legacy debt", some challenges of managing open source projects with over 500 Github repositories, and how Chef built cohesive governance and EOL programs for open source contributions. Sudhir also shares advice for developers who are looking for a way to begin introducing automated tests in environments where that's not yet considered a valuable practice by the team. Helpful Links Sudhir on Twit...
Dec 28, 2020•40 min•Ep. 81
Robby speaks with Monica Lent, Software Engineer, Founder, Speaker, and Travel + Technical blogger. They discuss the importance of clear boundaries between teams, Monica's participation in the 12 startups in 12 months challenge, and why it is okay to say "I don't (yet) have an opinion on that." Monica also shares advice for developers on coming up with topic ideas for blogging, and introduces us to her free email course. Helpful Links Monica on Twitter Blogging for Devs Monica's Website [Book Re...
Dec 21, 2020•50 min•Ep. 80
Episode Notes Robby speaks with Trae Robrock, Software Developer Engineer at GoDaddy. They discuss why readability matters (and how Ruby on Rails aligns well with this), the importance of implementing good team processes and communication channels, and the differences between explicit and non-explicit tradeoffs. Trae also share stories of successful and not-so-successful software rewrites. Helpful Links Trae on Twitter Trae on LinkedIn Trae's Website Green Bits [Book Recommendation] Atomic Habit...
Dec 14, 2020•50 min•Ep. 79
