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What is the Domain Model? A Domain Model is a conceptual representation that captures the key entities, attributes, and relationships within a specific business domain. It serves as a blueprint that guides the design and development of software systems, ensuring that the technical solution aligns with the real-world problem space. By abstracting the complexity of the domain, the domain model helps developers and stakeholders communicate effectively, leading to more accurate and efficient software solutions. Domain Models are typically represented using diagrams and notations that illustrate the interactions between entities. They play a crucial role in aligning the technical architecture with business processes, enabling teams to create systems that reflect the nuances of the domain. In practice, a domain model helps reduce ambiguity and provides a shared understanding among team members, leading to more coherent and robust software designs.

One of the important lessons I've learned over the last few years as a software engineer is, "During team discussions, focus on the product, not the person." We've all had the huddles where the team is looking at the smoldering remains of the demo trying to figure out where the bailing wire slipped and the duct tape snapped. Messages didn't get picked up off the bus, logic went down the wrong path over spurious double-quotes, low voltage on the USB hub throttled sensor input below previously unidentified acceptable thresholds. The team is trying to identify what went wrong, why, how best to fix it, and when it'll be resolved. The important omission is to not ask "who". Don't ask who introduced the bugs, who missed corner cases, who skipped on documenting their part of the project. The best outcome from asking "who" is an HR meeting months or years later as tensions boil, or a frustrated colleague heads to greener pastures. Focus on the technical product that the team is trying to fix, on the gaps in the test coverage, on the loose processes that allowed the defects to escape. If "who" needs an answer, let the team answer the question proactively. Let the engineers step up and say, "I know how to fix this", or "I will find a solution and bring it back to the team". Create opportunities for "who" to be a technical leadership moment, instead of a way to blame and cudgel teammates. (spontaneous thoughts, 10 Oct 2024, MH)

"How to talk to developers without punching them in the face." That was the title of my talk. The room erupted in laughter. But the pain was real. Here are the 2 most important parts of it: 1. Context is king Developers hear "it doesn't work" all day. It's like telling a doctor "I don't feel good" and expecting a diagnosis. Instead, provide: • What you expected • What actually happened • Exact steps to reproduce Remember - If they can't reproduce it, they can't fix it. 2. Define success upfront Some developers get carried away with optimization. They'll spend months shaving milliseconds off a rarely-used feature. To avoid this: • Clearly state what matters • Outline what doesn't • Define concrete success parameters Bridging this communication gap means smoother projects, faster delivery, and a team that actually enjoys working together. What's your biggest challenge in communicating with developers (or, if you're a developer, the biggest challenges you face from management/stakeholder communication?)

How many people out there are building custom GPTs to use in their role as a cross-functional team leader? I just started streamlining part of my new offer to leverage a custom GPT so teams can spend more time doing what they love and less time doing the things they hate. This promises to save us 100's of hours a year while improving our service delivery and increasing the value our customers can receive in a shorter period. Building with these new tools is a dream, it requires being more of a director than technician. It feels co-creative just like working with a collaborative team of people who bring different expertise to the table. And as a people-focused leader with a background in human-centered design, these tools are going to make peoples lives and work way more enjoyable and meaningful when playing a supportive role in our work.

Spikes In the development world, a spike is a user story that leads to further information. The aim is to clarify another user story so the team can estimate the required effort. I've seen teams set off headlong into these time-boxed investigations, starting from scratch. It's an excellent way to learn things, but perhaps not the most efficient. Is there an internal resource you can use to fast-track the investigation? Does your vendor have help available? Tapping into just a few hours of expertise gives you the chance to get a head start in your investigation, and maybe you can finish the task ahead of time.

I personally have a difficult time thinking in absolutes. Whether something is "good" or "bad," "right," or "wrong." I see this mainly as a virtue as it allows for compassion and empathy toward everyone, wherever they happen to be on their journey. However, in the business world, thinking this way can impede progress. Decisions need to be made, and tasks need to be completed. While re-evaluating how things are done is essential, a framework of some kind is also required to prevent rehashing the same problem repeatedly. I've been dwelling on the power of "process" definition lately as I work to define further how we accomplish things at Rapid Development Group, LLC, in a repeatable way with high-quality results. This was bolstered by a CreativeMornings talk by Christy Ennis-Kloote's talk on "Patterns" that also affirmed (and warned, in the case of 'anti-patterns') the power of defining how business tasks are performed. As software developers, we produce processes in the form of computer instructions. But processes are just as important organizationally. They create predictability. This builds team confidence and results in creating realistic expectations for clients. Achieving the ultimate goal of delivering high-quality software that meets or exceeds client expectations.

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough:   𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 software 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴—𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. I’ve seen it happen often: someone might be brilliant at solving complex challenges, but when communication breaks down, the whole team feels the impact.  A great solution can get lost if it’s not clearly communicated, leading to confusion, misalignment, and wasted time. When ideas aren’t effectively shared, decisions drag out, misunderstandings creep in, and the team ends up going in circles.   It’s not just about having the right technical answers—it’s about making sure everyone is on the same page and moving in the same direction. 𝗦𝗼, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? • Be clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary jargon.   • Practice active listening—take the time to understand before jumping in with solutions.   • Use visuals like diagrams to simplify complex ideas.   • Hold regular check-ins to keep everyone aligned.   • Document key decisions so there’s always a reference point. At the end of the day, technical skills are crucial, but it’s strong communication and collaboration that truly elevate a team.  Engineering is a team effort, and success comes from solving problems 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 💪

Three key challenges when building a high-performing team 1. Output vs. Outcomes It’s easy for teams to become feature factories, focusing on delivering projects rather than delivering true value. To avoid this, it’s essential to clearly understand the value proposition and the results you aim to achieve for your users. This means shifting the focus from “what are we building” to “why are we building it”, ensuring we are working on the right problems and delivering meaningful results that positively impact customers. 2. Prioritization Not everything can be a P0. When everything is marked as the highest priority, in reality, nothing is. If the team starts joking about P000 or P-1, it’s a clear sign of prioritization overload. Effective prioritization and capacity planning are critical to keeping teams focused and collaborative. Teams need the space to deliver results on time without burning out or spreading too thin. 3. Quality (Beyond the Technical) Quality must be at the forefront—not just in terms of technical excellence but also in user experience. Building a great product means delivering something that not only works but resonates with users, capturing feedback and iterating as needed. On the technical side, operational excellence is non-negotiable. Scalability, reliability, and stability are essential. While technical debt is inevitable, making conscious trade-offs and ensuring your software is maintainable will pay dividends in the long term. There's a lot to unpack on these three topics, but address those in that sequence and you will see your team doing better.

When leading a team, don't introduce an unfamiliar piece of technology, especially when it has a steep-learning curve, that's unfamiliar to most individuals in your team just because you know it really well, when you know that there is no bandwidth (measured in seconds) to accommodate the productivity loss to be experienced at the beginning of the timeline/milestone. ...Even if you are available to introduce the technology to them. #softwareengineeering #tip