Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Updated My Personal Mission. Same Essence, Different Words

 

Eduardo Ferro's Personal Mission

Cultivate Happiness: Foster personal joy and spread happiness to those around me, starting with family and friends, while continuously expanding my circle of influence.

Methods of Achievement

  • Responsibility and Respect: Uphold personal accountability and respect for others in all interactions.
  • Balance Seeking: Strive for a harmonious balance in personal life and contribute towards global equilibrium.
  • Authenticity: Remain true to myself in every aspect of life, including professional pursuits.
  • Value Generation: Utilize my abilities to create both intrinsic and economic value, mindful of social and ethical considerations.
  • Win-Win Scenarios: Continually seek outcomes that are mutually beneficial.
  • Continuous Learning: Embrace lifelong learning, both personally and professionally.
  • Conscious Decision-Making: Choose my reactions and actions thoughtfully.

Ethical Stance

Selective Engagement: Refrain from involvement with businesses that conflict with my values, including:
  • Financial enterprises that prioritize profit over social and environmental responsibility.
  • Weapon manufacturers and the military industry.
  • Casinos and gambling enterprises.
  • Entities involved in the abuse or exploitation of humans, animals, or the environment.
  • Businesses that negatively impact the lives of stakeholders.

Vision for the Future

I believe we are at a pivotal moment where our actions can significantly impact the planet, both positively and negatively. It's crucial to remember this responsibility at all times. We are amidst a revolution that blends collaboration, knowledge, and a federation of power. Networks are becoming the structures of the future, and their growth should be both sustained and sustainable.

Professional Alignment

My focus is on engaging with green and teal organizations, where people are valued as the primary asset. I am drawn to environments that prioritize sustainable and ethical practices, recognizing the importance of human capital in driving positive change.

Personal Commitment

I engage with the world passionately and responsibly, yet always at a measured pace, ensuring a balanced approach in all my endeavors.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Learning lean/Agile concepts / short videos

 


Yesterday, my colleague Cristina Verdi asked for interesting resources to help introduce Lean Software / Product Development concepts.
I passed her a series of short videos that I always use to illustrate certain related concepts. I'm posting them here in case they can help someone.

Resource Efficiency vs Flow Efficiency:

Wednesday, November 01, 2023

Harnessing Efficiency: The Theory of Constraints in Software Development



This micro post was previously published at linkedin

Navigating the multi-faceted domain of software development often presents a series of bottlenecks that could hinder project momentum and delivery timelines. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) serves as a beacon, guiding teams to identify, address, and overcome these bottlenecks, thereby unlocking a pathway to streamlined processes and enhanced productivity.

Here's a snapshot of how TOC unfolds in software development:
  1.  Identify the most important Constraint: Pinpoint the process, resource, or technology bottleneck obstructing progress (lack of quality, knowledge silos, convoluted deployment process, individual ownership about parts of the code or processes, etc.).
  2. Exploit the Constraint: Maximize the efficiency of the identified constraint without additional resources (reducing the WIP, redirecting people to help with the bottleneck, etc.).
  3. Subordinate Everything Else to the Constraint: Ensure all other processes are aligned to support and work around the constraint.
  4. Elevate the Constraint: Allocate necessary resources to alleviate or eliminate the constraint, promoting better throughput (investing in automation, test automation, pair/ensemble programming to spread knowledge, feature toggles to reduce risk, etc.).
  5. Repeat the Process: Embark on a cycle of continuous identification and resolution of constraints to foster a culture of ongoing improvement.

For a deeper dive into TOC and its application in IT landscapes, 'The Goal' by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and 'The Phoenix Project' by Gene KimKevin Behr, and George. Spafford are essential reads.

Using the Theory of Constraints (TOC) can help software development professionals and teams deal with problems smartly. It helps turn these problems into opportunities for improvement, growth and faster delivery.

Indeed, the Theory of Constraints relates to Lean Software Development and agile software development methodologies.

The lightning talk "Stop Starting and Start Finishing" by Jason Yip is one of the best explanations I know for understanding how to use TOC and other Lean ideas to optimize the sustained delivery flow of a software development team.

#TheoryOfConstraints #SoftwareDevelopment #ContinuousImprovement #TheGoal #LeanSoftwareDevelopment

The virtuous loop of software development



This micro post was previously published at linkedin

The ultimate aim is Continuous Delivery (CD), a goal that enables fast flow with rapid iterations and continuous feedback. At the same time, this goal promotes technical excellence and good design.

Continuous Integration (CI) is required (integrating at least once a day, also known as Trunk Based Development), along with a strong focus on Test-Driven Development (TDD) or other similar practices to ensure high confidence and emphasis on excellent and simple design. This approach is closely linked to Extreme Programming and the DevOps mindset, which emphasizes collaboration and continuous improvement. By following these principles, software development teams can enhance their efficiency and deliver high-quality products to customers.


Here are some related resources that you might find interesting: