Duy Huynh

Big news from Helcim! We’ve got a new Merchant Contract Buyout Program to help you switch to our amazing payment solutions. We’ll cover your cancellation costs, making the switch super easy. 🚀 Check it out: https://bit.ly/4cDHnem #SwitchToHelcim #BetterPayments #ContractBuyoutProgram #Helcim 

3

Once upon a time, some years back, I was in a meeting in which I kept being referred to as a "UI person"... after the meeting I pulled my boss aside and asked "what the hell is a UI person?" And that is when I discovered that not all frontend engineers were fully competent in css, and building responsive interfaces. That was a shock. I was on a team at the time that built custom websites that had a CMS, so we had to make things like menu systems very, very robust. We built pretty custom mobile menus, mega menus, dropdown, fly outs, carousels, (all the things), and we had to test them with different amounts of content: with no content, with too much content, and with too many characters. Most of the people on that team had to develop a high level of mastery of css, javascript, accessibility, and responsive UI development in general. And there was lots and lots... and lots... of testing with different amounts of content. Because give a non-technical person a wysiwyg and they will find a way to bust up your fancy menus and content blocks. So it is strange to see over and over again how much user interfaces don't get the skill/attention they deserve. I think it comes down to how much frontend skills tend to get undervalued, and the more frontend those skills are, the more undervalued they tend to be. There is this attitude like css/html and UI work in general is "less" technical so all SE's should just be able to do it by default. I have met high level backend engineers with a less-than entry-level skillset for building user interfaces who were building them. And so the approach to UI often seems to be 'just knock it out' with your beginner level skillset... But like any other part of the stack, user interfaces are built with code. Bad quality code will break more often, and be subject to recurring issues. People who don't know how to build user interfaces won't know to test for the various ways that it may get used. They won't know how to make a user interface robust against common issues like too many characters in a menu item, or how long can this dropdown be before it needs to scroll? And maybe they shouldn't. It's okay to specialize. I work both backend and frontend so I can tell you definitively that the frontend isn't less technical, css/HTML isn't easier, and UI work is not 'softer', or requiring of less logic than any other part of the code base. And bad code is just as much of a problem in the UI as it is anywhere else. It is also true that if a "UI person" could build in 1 hour what it takes your python engineer 8 hours to build, that their 1 hour should be worth roughly 8 hours of your python engineer's time, IF that is how you are runnings things. Those numbers aren't really accurate though, once I was told that I solved in 10 minutes a problem that would have taken the python engineer I was helping a week to solve - if you are having your backend folks fix UI issues it is probably worse than you think.

4

Let's talk about Trust. Recently I just finished my skipper courses, and you know what - it's so much a software development. You're - a cross-functional team of 2-8 people - with a delivery idea of moving the vessel from point A to point B. But yet, that's an extreme sport - and as with every extreme team activity - Trust is key to success. A team member has the Trust if - believe other members are doing their best in their work - believe other member's estimations/promises are true - believe other members will raise a flag once trouble appears > We can fail, but fail quickly and learn. But how do you build that in the team? The first thing you do - you become such a person. You always do your best. You try to keep your word and promises. You fail and talk about that openly. You are - the Trust deliveryman. > As a leader, you need to trust your team first to be trusted. So what do you think? - Do you have a Trust-specific task in your backlog? - How do you measure the Trust in your team? - Did you have an experience where a lack of Trust became a blocker? inspired by https://lnkd.in/dGQCPi9v #LifeIsASoftwareDevelopment

19

2 kommentarer

Good opportunity

1

Do we need to subject software developers to logic test? My friend argued that because I tested the developers, we're slow in boarding new developers when we needed more. I argued that we need to do it because when we hired the non-qualified ones, they're messing with our product, thus we're producing lower quality product. Nevertheless, I continued with my practice and still grow the company's resources without sacrificing quality. And two of my best resources are the ones that quickly answer the simple logic test. Meanwhile my friend is still struggling to hire one resource for his team despite no coding test required 😁 (he's in business, while I'm in IT) To me, logic test for developers is mandatory. Logic is the number one thing we required from them. Programming languages, frameworks and other skills can be learned. It takes a while to learn business rules, but they too are teachable. But hiring a developer with bad logic means we're compromising with quality. Not only they take longer to complete a task, they also produce questionable results. Often times we have to deal with the consequences later and they can be big ones. What is your take on this? Please share in the comment. PS: I will share the way I give the simplest logic test that even some senior developers can't solve, and how I fairly assess their logic by the way they come up with their answers in another post. Please follow and comment if you would like to see that post.

9

3 kommentarer

I heard a story yesterday from a new friend about an unsuccessful software development project that lasted for 1.5 years. It is over 1.2M USD in total budget spent to date and still needs to be finished. How do I know it's not successful? The phrase that he said: "They will probably deliver it this Autumn, but it will be a very raw product that no one needs" So, what went wrong? First of all, the contractor's choice. They selected a large software development agency with offices in 10 countries, and that seemed trustworthy. What you can expect in this case? - You will get your product done with a good quality - You will pay 30-50% more than for small consultancies - You will have a chance to meet someone in person somewhere in your country - Your product will be finished (but you obviously need to pay for every hour worked). What's the downside except the price? One main thing: Your product will be your responsibility only. Was your idea bad? Well, you paid 1.5M to validate it; no one really cares if something built will never be used. In 2V Modules, we have a different approach, which I'm a big fan of. If we start working on something, we dive deep to understand what this product is for, what pains we are addressing, who the ICP is, and whether it was validated or not. Even if it's an "internal" product, there are still multiple ways of building it. It's not only about the business analysis stage, it's about finding the right solutions. So I think small teams are often a better fit because they actually CARE what they are building, not only HOW it is built.

11

2 kommentarer

2024 is nearly over. Did you already invest in yourself? Maybe you still have budget left for your personal development? If you want to build up your skills on product development, I have two great recommendations for you - both for product, design, and engineering people: 1️⃣ November 6+7 the Tech Leadership Summit will take place in Zurich, co-located with the renowned Product Management Festival. One ticket buys you access to both! My discount code "DiscountSpeakerTLS" will cut the price by 20% - but the value stays at 120%! 2️⃣ November 13+14 will see the Digitale Leute Summit in Cologne. You can learn from amazing talks, but also join full day content-packed workshops. My discount code "DLS24JAN20" will give you 20% off of tickets. Spoiler alert: 2025 will also bring its challenges. 😉 Set yourself up for success! The direct links are in the comments. Disclaimer: Okay, okay - I will also give talks at both, but you can easily go to the other talks instead. 😘

57

6 kommentarer

Today I have applied for the participation in Junction 2024 - back offline hackathon. It’s me, Igor Vernichenko and Aarni Pavlidi who will try to come up with something super exciting for the second time. Or have just fun as we did last time. #junction2024 #helsinkievents #backoffline #hackathon2024 #junction #hackathon

21

3 kommentarer

During lunch a few weeks ago, someone asked one of the developers in my team how long it would take to write one of our internal-facing systems from scratch. He looked at me and said: "Something like 3 months, right Anton?" And I replied: "Closer to 6. And then 3 more years to add all the edge cases". The longer the code exists - the more stable it is. When I started leading my team 2.5 years ago, I was given a legacy system to support, that nobody really knew. So far, it had maybe 2 small problems due to external API changes, and is just working flawlessly… 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗲 - 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. Vadim Kravcenko wrote a great article about it: https://lnkd.in/dCC8QcTe P.S. Who do you think will win the fight in the image? :) Join 12,700+ engineering leaders for weekly articles on leading software teams: https://lnkd.in/dmvYbssM

13

3 kommentarer

At the highest level, for me, the development team productivity equation has two components: BANG and BUCK. Improving productivity then starts with either of two questions - how can we increase the value of the software created, and how can we reduce its cost? When you exclude developers from discussions around value (e.g., strategy, customer/user interactions, product design), and then demand greater productivity, you're asking them to do that with one arm tied behind their back. (And then, of course, tie the other arm behind their back by giving them no meaningful autonomy.)

17

4 kommentarer

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 I've worked in 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩𝐬, IT 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬, from niche to mid-sized to Large, the IT dept of non-software companies, and software 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 companies. Let me share some 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬 and 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 about working in the different ones. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒 I'll be honest: consultancies have a strong hold over the tech sector in Norway, as there simply isn't many or any big software product companies to speak of. Only small/start-ups. So, a lot of the talent pool is working in consultancies. I eventually left my home country to work in a Software 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 company 🏡 💼 🛫 🌍 😁 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬: ➕ Work with experts & technology specialists ➕ Access to great training programs, technical and non-technical ➕ Exposure to many different industries! - Public and private sector. Retail, airports, energy, agriculture, government - etc! 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬: ➖ Tech > Problem-solving: You're sold as a <insert tech> dev. ➖ Process & Red tape - Pre-defined deliveries/contracts means things can be slow or difficult to change ➖ Little to no ownership of the product ➖ Certifications > Impact - Consultancies wants you to be easy to sell. Certs works as a proof of your skills. 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩𝐬 I had an internship in a start-up as a CS student. This experience was invaluable. I later worked as a software engineer in a start-up, and worked on some very cool projects. Had a lot of fun, learned a lot. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬: ➕ Fast paced, not boring ➕ You can and must wear many hats ➕ Could be career making 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬: ➖ Little to no structure or process ➖ Potentially nowhere to grow ➖ A big risk that might not pay off. If you're in a start-up, make sure to get something out of it even if the start-up doesn't succeed. 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 I worked in television(!) As a Business Intelligence dev & analyst. Basically a data engineers & Data scientist. ➕ Can have big impact on the product/business ➕ Exposure to potentially interesting domain ➕ Help non-technical stakeholders ➖ Not solving for the core business, not prioritized ➖ Slow to adopt new tech. ➖ Lonely - No dev community. Things like Code quality, CI/CD, DevOps, DevEx... is up to you/your dept, or nonexistent. 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 I might be biased here as I currently work in a Software product company, something I wanted for a long time. ➕ Have a big impact on the core business and or for customers ➕ Win by solving interesting & challenging industry problems in smart ways over use <insert tech> by all means. ➕ Ownership of product over time ➕ Career growth opportunities ➖ Working in a high performance environment can be stressful ➖ Bias for action or bust ➖ Learn how to deal with Ambiguity or have a bad time Please let me know what you think of this!!!

31

9 kommentarer

Classic. 😅 PM: Let’s discuss story points for creating an authentication system. QA: One. Designer: One. Developer: Five. PM: Five? That's a bit high! Developer: What? Building an authentication system from scratch? No. Designer: It's just a login page, sign up page, and submit button. QA: Yeah, how hard can it be? Developer: How hard can it be? We need to create new tables, salt and hash the passwords, set up JWT, permissions. Designer: Sounds like a skill issue. QA: Definitely a skill issue. Developer: Are you guys serious? You just draw rectangles for a living and you just break stuff. This is a five! PM: Whoa whoa! How about we meet in the middle? Two points? Designer: Yep. QA: Sounds good. Developer: Okay, fine. 🙄 👏👏👏 Richard Oliver Bray

13

3 kommentarer

Think of a company where everything is slow, breaks down, and makes people unhappy. That’s often the case without DevOps and QA. Here’s what happens: - Slow Services: It takes too long to give customers new stuff, which means other companies can do better. - Wasting Money: It’s expensive to fix errors and deal with products that don’t work right. - Everyone’s Upset: Bad products make both the creators and users frustrated. - Mismatched Code: Sometimes, developers make things that don’t work with what’s already there, leading to trouble. - No Progress: Companies that don’t keep improving get left behind and miss out on fresh ideas. - Harder to Handle: Bigger companies struggle without good ways to handle their work. EthioOps Software QA and DevOps Consulting Services can help your company streamline its development processes, ensuring faster and more reliable product delivery. This leads to increased satisfaction for all stakeholders involved #SoftwareQA #DevOps #ConsultingServices #EthioOps #QA

8

🌟 Exciting Update! 🌟 As I previously announced, we’re taking a brief break in August, and gearing up for an incredible lineup in September with three exciting events centered around the Agilist workshop and trainings. Mark your calendars! Scrum Sredom 🗓️ Organized by Bogdan Doroslovac, this event will feature a live stream of few us playing the Agilist Board Game. Join us for an interactive session and take advantage of a special discount on the Agilist box! Event will be held on the 11th of September, and we will be sharing a link for registration in the beginning of September. Training at Simplify 🏢 We’re thrilled to partner with Simplify and Ivan Pribicevic, one of our leading consulting companies in process automation, RPA, and management system implementation, for an exclusive training session. Looking forward to go through the Business Agility Gamification Session with a Simplify crew. Workshop at the Product Roadmap Conference 🚀 On the third day of the Product Roadmap Conference organized by Serbian Product Community and Ana Pegan, we’re hosting a hands-on workshop where participants can dive into the Agilist experience. Plus, there will be an opportunity to purchase the Agilist Game box at a discounted rate. Workshop will be held on the 28th of September and you are able to purchase a Workshop Day Pass here: https://lnkd.in/gT2VXJzW For the ones who are reading about the Agilist Board Game for the first time now, you can find more info here: https://agilist-game.com/ or ping me directly. Stay tuned for more details, and see you in September! #Agilist #ScrumSredom #Simplify #ProductConference #AgileTraining #ContinuousImprovement #EventAnnouncement

18

3 kommentarer

Next week, I will be in #Berlin at LeadDev, speaking about #NeurodiversityInTech which is a topic I care deeply about. I will also attend many other great talks, so I am giving a shoutout to some of the talks I am most excited to see. Ice, confusion, and the 38,000ft crash - Nickolas Means Level up the whole party, not just the hero - Denise Yu How to talk to everyone: Connecting with your reporting chain - Najla Elmachtoub

15

1 kommentar

"And the winner is... SchedZamm"! ⚡ (but wait... why?) Holding my breath, waiting for it to be announced while going through in a flash of everything that had happened in the last 48 hours. I was hoping it would be `ShedZamm`! I in fact prayed for it. But as always, I told myself it would be fine if I didn't win. "At least the presentation went really well". The video you see is of actually right after our presentation/demo ended. (and then there was a pause... when every jury member was deciding their votes for who is going to win) Adam Brinkman appreciated me for the good presentation and I admired his consistent efforts with the backend and integration of Google Gemini with GraphQL. And when it was announced, as always, couldn't help myself from continuously smiling (Alhamdulillah), and me and Adam both went to the podium and received some nice goodies from Logitech & Google. What did we do to win the Hackathon? And what is SchedZamm? There's so much to tell :) It could be a video, or it could be an article. There are so many learnings just from these 48 hours of working on a crazy approach to solve the problem we were given for the Cillers hackathon. I can however, already give a few tips that helped us: - Scope things down. The time is limited, and so are the resources - Optimize back and forth communications. Spend the initial time brainstorming and agreeing on as many things as possible. Everyone can then keep working fast, while continuing to have necessary discussions. - Use premade things. Boilerplates, existing templates, usage of AI to do the things faster for you (use Gemini btw ;) ) - Make it work, then make it pretty. If things don't work well, there's no point in showing a great UI/UX. - Figure out "that one thing" about your target project. We did that in the initial scope and focused all our energy on what we will be demoing at the end. It had to be simple, focused on a single purpose, and flawless. The AI part of our app should solve the target problem EASILY. And we actually did that. - Presentation really matters. And I'm not talking about having heavy slides with a lot of images and text. If 12+ teams are presenting, people can hardly remember all the details a team leaves them with. - With above said, STORIES. Stories are what stick with people. Not facts, not details. But how your presentation/talk/demo made them feel. I'm a life-long learner and my research & studies around story-telling really helped in our presentation. - Be an active listener. There were several occasions where I thought I was proposing a good way to a solution but I immediately fell back to listen to Adam and his thought process. And about half of the time, he was right. And the other half, we both were saying the same thing but in different terms. Empathy is the key. I want to thank Peder Linder, Per Lange & Adam Brinkman for being amazing. And the Cillers stack which has become so good now! Repost to share the values♻️

75

10 kommentarer

Just got back from an inspiring CTO dinner at Google Stockholm! While I might not be a CTO yet (future CTO vibes, anyone?), it was an incredible chance to learn from the best. The night wasn't just about fancy dinners (although, let's be honest, those were pretty great too). We dug into the nitty-gritty of technical leadership, the challenges that come with it, and how to navigate them. But the true goldmine? Picking the brains of Google's engineering wizards about real-world applications of generative AI that are driving serious business value. This is the kind of info that separates the good from the great, and I'm itching to put it into action! #FutureCTO #GenerativeAI #GoogleCloud cc: Oscar Söderlund, Mark Shine Jason Quek

53

4 kommentarer

What is Ninox? Check out this new video! I am now 2 months into my new job as Head of Engineering at Ninox Software - and well I did quite a few interviews with candidates where I had to explain what we do and what we are about. Now we made a video that will make this aspect of my role much easier. Check it out:

24

2 kommentarer