Spikes

Spikes were an interesting idea that have become massively abused and it’s time that we just stop using them.

Where should a tech lead start?

I was recently talking to a developer who had just been promoted to tech lead. They were asking what they should be doing differently now. I suggested the first things I’d focus on are that their job is now…

Technical vs Architectural Debt

I was first introduced to the idea of splitting technical debt into two distinct parts during a conference talk given by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock. She talked about there being a real difference between simple cleanup such as renaming or adding clarity and architectural restructuring.

Ensemble Programming

Ensemble programming (aka “Mob Programming” or “Software Teaming”) is a technique where the entire team works together on a single story at the same time, on the same computer. It takes pair programming to the next level by including everyone.

Defects / Bugs

Surprisingly, there isn’t much agreement on what a defect is or how they should be addressed. This page expains our position on defects and how we feel they should be dealt with.