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Do you know how your system behaves in production? Can you tell what is normal and what is a problem? It can be all to easy to do a basic set up with a SaaS product and then stop thinking about what's happening in production, hoping that you'll be able to get to the data if there's a problem. In this episode, your hosts discuss the concept of Observability. If we want to be able to improve our systems, avoid problems, and get the right alerts then we must instrument our code for the right data and learn what our baseline actually looks like.

Biology has a lot to teach us about successful complex systems. As with other disciplines, we can adapt biological concepts to help us create better software — both in code and in how we work. In this episode, your hosts talk about how we can apply concepts from cells, genetics, and evolution to practical concepts like team creation, code communication patterns, and architecture. You may never code up your own genetic algorithm, but we think you'll find the concepts interesting and useful.

Databases are key technology used in a large number of applications. There are different types and how we utilize them matters. In this episode, Dave and Allan talk about the changes we've observed in database patterns over time. We cover a variety of types of databases and give some suggestions for implementation details we have found valuable.

Mistakes and failures are a common part of software development. But the consequences depend greatly on whether the failure was part of an experiment or if it was a production incident. In this episode, Dave and Allan discuss how we approach failures and what we can do to help us prevent future mistakes. We also discuss the importance of experimentation, and the necessary components to make it safe to experiment.

Volatility means risk. We experience volatility in our companies and products. We experience it in our teams, our practices, and perhaps especially in code. In this episode, your hosts discuss the importance of recognizing volatility and discuss some ways to handle it.

In prior episodes we've mentioned that although code can be art of itself, we usually focus on the value provided by the functionality from executing the code. But crafting code in a way that creates said value in a sustainable way is difficult, and how you go about it constitutes an art form of its own. In this episode, Allan and Dave discuss the difference between code as art and the art of coding. We talk about why this distinction matters both in the codebase and also to the coders.

While exploring the concept of business strategy, Simon Wardley came up with a mapping concept to visualize the space you are playing in. In this episode, Allan and Dave explore a subset of these ideas and discuss how we've found them helpful in software development. We cover the basic concepts of a Wardley map, then how these maps can help us understand the changing landscape and make better technology decisions.

Fear is the mind-killer, leaving us convinced that we cannot trust others to make decisions. But being the bottleneck for decision making only slows everything down. Delegating to other people helps them grow and be more fulfilled while also freeing up leaders to do more. In this episode, your hosts discuss the importance of delegation and a framework we've used to help provide clarity on how people participate along the spectrum of delegation.

Finding your next job can be a difficult task. You need to know what you're looking for and how to sell yourself in your application and interviews. In this episode, Dave and Allan share what they've learned about job searching. We discuss networking, what to do and look for in interviews, and things to consider when deciding if you want the job or not.

'We need to instill a sense of urgency.' This is something we've heard in a few variations at different companies. Is a sense of urgency even a good thing to have on your team, or is it just undue pressure and anxiety? In this episode, Dave and Allan find that they disagree strongly about the semantics of that specific word, but still find a lot of common ground on what we think it should mean for teams.

Sixty-four episodes is a significant milestone (in powers of two)! In commemoration, Dave and Allan reflect back on how this podcast got started and some of the changes we made along the way to keep it going. We also share a few details about how we record, edit and publish. Most of all, we hope that we are providing something of value to our listeners.

When one of the hardest things in our industry is naming things, it is easy for us to disagree on what words mean as language changes over time and space. The terms 'craftsmanship' and 'engineering' are some that we struggle with and fight over. In this episode, Dave and Allan discuss the concept of semantic drift, what these terms mean to us, and how these terms and our job titles affect how we are perceived. If a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, then we'd better understand what that thorny flower truly is.

A cross-functional team is one that has all the necessary people to build and ship a product without having to wait on people outside of the team. But having those people on the team isn't the whole story; how the team works together (or not) matters. In this episode, your hosts discuss the Product Discovery Double Diamond concept, using techniques like '5 Whys' to dig into problems, and letting teams own their problem space. These ideas have helped us move from mere outputs to outcomes and real impact.

Practices co-evolve with activities. As we (as in industry) increasingly use AI tools, how will this change our existing practices and what new ones will emerge? In this episode, Allan and Dave discuss practices that we've found valuable and what our experiences have been like incorporating AI into our work thus far. We cover some tried-and-true practices that seem to pair well with AI and speculate about changes we might see in others.

Most software engineers work on teams sharing their code with others. Yet significant portion of people in our industry never elevate their level of code collaboration beyond code reviews (often in the form of pull requests). Allan and Dave have mentioned pairing and mobbing many times, but in this episode they finally talk about what those ways of collaborating actually look like. Listen in as we explore the spectrum from sharing a codebase to parallel coding and beyond.