Labs: Setting Engineering Goals and Reporting to Stakeholders

This week, guest host Ben Lloyd Pearson chats with Thayse Onofrio, Software Engineer at Clutch and ex Thoughtworks. Thayse discusses how micro frontends allow individual application components to be operated and deployed independently, helping teams avoid the complexities of a monolithic architecture. They cover the technicalities, challenges, and advantages of implementing micro frontends, including the importance of module federation and proper coordination among developer teams. Learn about the future of frontend development, the cultural impacts, and the best practices from Thayse’s experience. Episode highlights:01:02 What is a micro frontend?04:08 Building from scratch vs. out-of-the-box solutions 10:30 What’s the process for moving to a more micro frontend based approach?15:46 What changes do you need to use a micro frontend framework? 17:28 What does a team using micro frontends benefit from once it's all set up?Show Notes:Thayse Onofrio | TwitterThayse Onofrio | SubstackThayse Onofrio | LinkedInThayse Onofrio | LeadDevSoftware Engineering Intelligence: Exposed & In ActionSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

Dan Lines is joined by Gil Broza, author of 'Deliver Better Results,' to discuss how you and your organization can achieve better results by focusing on processes. Gil shares his 20-year journey in the Agile field, focusing on product development, system thinking, prioritizing people, and mindful mindset adjustments.The conversation covers the book’s target audience, the concept of the value delivery systems, and the roadmap for holistic improvement beyond traditional Agile methodologies. Gil also highlights common pitfalls leaders encounter, such as treating people as resources and the importance of a unified organizational mindset.As a thank you to our listeners, we’re giving away the first chapter of ‘Deliver Better Results’ for free, check it out here.Episode Highlights:00:58 What led Gil to write ‘Deliver Better Results’, and who should be reading it?06:20 Is there a certain size of team that would benefit from this book?12:08 How can leaders identify the current state of their team?17:01 How can engineering and product work better together?20:49 What do leaders get wrong about people?34:14 How can managers avoid finding someone to blame?40:10 How can you avoid falling back to old habits after you make changes?Show Notes:Gil Broza on LinkedInGil Broza (@gilbroza) / XDeliver Better Results: How to Unlock Your Organization’s PotentialDownload the first chapter of ‘Deliver Better Results’ for free hereSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

This week, guest host Ben Lloyd Pearson sits down with Bloomberg’s Engineering Manager Luis Vega. Luis discusses the initial challenges of enhancing developer engagement with internal tooling. He outlines his approach to building internal applications that are as intuitive and engaging as Bloomberg's client-facing solutions, and how applying UX design principles and branding for tools dramatically increased adoption. Vega also reflects on transitioning from a hands-on developer to a managerial role, emphasizing the importance of understanding team dynamics and fostering a culture of support and innovation within Bloomberg.Episode Highlights:01:14 What is Bloomberg?02:52 How do you get developers to embrace internal tooling?06:58 Giving applications mascots12:28 Helping developers be more productive with internal tooling18:31 What was the biggest challenge to tackle when developing internal tooling?25:41 Luis' journey into development32:07 What's next for Bloomberg's internal tools?Show Notes:How to Drive Developer Productivity and Profitability with SEI BloombergLuis Alejandro Vega on LinkedInLuis Alejandro Vega (@luisalejovega) / XAleAlejandro on YouTubeSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

In our first Labs episode of the year, LinearB COO and Co-founder Dan Lines is joined by CTO Yishai Beeri to explore how elite engineering organizations set and report on their engineering goals. Modern engineering leaders face a dual mandate of achieving operational excellence while aligning their work with business priorities. To achieve this, you need to deliver software predictably—projects need to be delivered on time, within scope, and as promised so the rest of the business can drive ROI. Dan and Yishai highlight goal-setting methodologies to achieve predictable delivery and key metrics to focus on, ranging from planning accuracy and capacity accuracy to cycle time.Along with goal setting, we cover how to effectively report on your goals and progress to business stakeholders. Plus, you can download LinearB’s CTO Board Deck Template to leverage in your next board meeting.Episode Highlights:01:24 Key terms to know when setting goals 02:17 Engineering leaders’ dual mandate: operational excellence and business alignment 08:18 How can engineering leaders set goals to achieve both sides of this mandate?11:37 Why engineering organizations need to deliver predictably 19:37 How to set goals around resource allocation 27:30 Reporting on your goals to business stakeholders 32:56 The LinearB CTO Board Deck TemplateShow Notes:Gartner SEI Platform Market GuideCTO Board SlidesEngineering Leader Guide to Goals and ReportingLinkedIn: Yishai BeeriTwitter: Yishai BeeriSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

This week, I sat down with Neha Batra, VP of Engineering for Core Productivity at GitHub. Our conversation is about the value of taking calculated risks in engineering leadership, using a “risk budget," and how you can leverage your social capital to take risks that help your career.Neha also shares her insights on senior engineering leaders' challenges when aligning business needs with talent and product execution. She discusses her framework for strengthening company alignment and engineering efficiency using established communication paths.Episode Highlights:00:26 Frameworks that strengthen company alignment03:11 How should you channel frustration into creation?05:58 Conceptualizing your risk budget 12:53 Strategies for building communication pathways 16:04 Conducting AMA's with your team21:47 How do you get team members to take accountability?25:27 How do you gather signals from your team?29:13 Mistakes leaders make you can learn from 36:32 Building curiosity into mundane experiences like datingShow Notes:Starting Your Engineering Metrics Program nerdneha (Neha Batra) · GitHubNeha BatraNeha (@nerdneha) / XGitHub: Let’s build from here · GitHub Support the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

In the last few years, disengagement at work has become a massive issue. We learned from Dr. Andre Martin’s episode that 53% of managers are burnt out and 1 in 3 employees leave their jobs in the first 90 days.This week, we sat down with Chuck Lafferty, VP of CRM at ADP, to discuss ADP’s approach to employee engagement and innovation. Chuck dives into building trust within teams, innovative techniques like ‘Survey Roulette’ to incorporate user feedback into development, and the critical role of understanding and caring for individuals.When employees feel valued, heard, and engaged in meaningful work, you see improved productivity and increased job satisfaction. The episode concludes with actionable steps to improve employee engagement through personalized interactions and empathetic leadership.Episode Highlights:01:51 How does Chuck define employee engagement?04:06 Can you measure employee engagement?12:05 How can managers engage individual developers?17:16 Survey Roulette and how it helps engage engineering teams.22:31 Winning in the workplace 23:45 The importance of separating the problem from the person25:30 How can you improve employee engagement?Show Notes:Starting Your Engineering Metrics Program Workshop Chuck LaffertyPayroll, HR and Tax Services | ADP Official SiteConfident CoderChuckLafferty (@ChuckLafferty) / XSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

This week, our host Dan Lines sits down with Tara Hernandez, VP of Developer Productivity at MongoDB. Together, they explore the nuances of developer productivity and the impact of AI in engineering environments.Tara emphasizes that achieving developer productivity requires a focus on outcomes, reduced noise for developers, and a healthy balance between technology, processes, and communication. She also touches on the strategic framework of the 'three horizons' for conceptualizing your investment breakdown across different projects and how to maintain focused on meaningful development work.Episode Highlights:01:43 How should you think about developer productivity?09:09 Three pillars to improve developer productivity16:07 Automated does not equal autonomous24:46 Making the golden path the easy path for developers27:51 What’s exciting in developer productivity and AI?29:57 The three horizons38:34 Developer performance vs productivity data40:23 What is the right way to think about goal setting for noise reduction?Show Notes:Starting Your Engineering Metrics Program Workshop Tara HernandezMongoDBGitHubCloudBeesCircleCIAtlassianEvergreen CI in GitHubSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

In the past year, ransomware attacks have been up almost 300%, with over 50% targeting small businesses. To help mitigate this increase, Microsoft is launching their new Security Copilot, and we sat down with their SMB Security Strategy Head, Binil Pillai, to learn more.We dive into the importance of SMBs assessing their security posture, how to leverage AI for efficient threat detection and response, and the role of Microsoft's partner ecosystem in providing comprehensive security solutions. The episode concludes with advice for SMB leaders on starting their security assessments and the benefits of integrating AI into their cybersecurity strategies.Episode Highlights:01:39 Why is SMB security a priority for Microsoft?07:34 Key security challenges for SMBs 09:26 How can SMBs leverage AI within security?16:28 How VPs of Engineering can use new tech to deal with threats20:25 Microsoft Security Copilot 24:30 Where is the best place to learn about Microsoft's security strategy?Show Notes:Microsoft Copilot for Security is generally available on April 1, 2024 | Microsoft Security BlogMicrosoft Copilot for Security: General Availability details - Microsoft Community HubMicrosoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft 365Microsoft Defender for Business | Microsoft SecurityAutomatic attack disruption in Microsoft 365 Defender | Microsoft LearnMicrosoft Defender for Cloud | Microsoft SecurityWhat is Microsoft Defender for Cloud? - Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Microsoft LearnSolution Assessment Program (microsoft.com)Support the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

In this episode, host Conor Bronsdon talks with Melissa DePuydt, Sr. Director of Engineering at Upstatement. Melissa discusses how her background in journalism has uniquely positioned her to excel in engineering leadership roles. She highlights how thinking like a journalist has enhanced her ability to lead engineering teams effectively, particularly in planning, risk management, and decision-making.The conversation covers the importance of preparing for disruptions, conducting pre-mortems to anticipate challenges, and incorporating broad perspectives for effective problem solving. Melissa also shares insights on continuously learning and adapting by embracing one's unique background and experiences.Episode Highlights:00:20 Why do engineering leaders need to think like journalists?04:46 Preparing for disruptions as an engineering leader08:44 How pre-mortems work in practice: an example from the Atlantic12:47 How to get buy in from other leaders when changing processes 17:59 Eliciting buy-in from team members on pre-mortems22:15 How do we train engineers to think in a team sport mentality?26:51 Why is career switching a superpower?Show Notes:Melissa DePuydtUpstatement | A digital brand and product design studioSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

On this week’s episode, host Conor Bronsdon sits down with Emily Nakashima, VP of Engineering at Honeycomb.io, to discuss how you can prepare to be a VP of Engineering, and how the role differs among companies. Being a VPE varies based on company size, culture, and the existing team's makeup, and Emily provides valuable advice for engineers aspiring to leadership positions.Emily also discusses using personality tests for better team dynamics and the need for regular self-evaluation as an integral part of career advancement. The conversation closes by talking about the impact of AI on the workforce, the importance of aligning engineering and business goals, and the potential of AI to enhance rather than replace human skills.Episode Highlights:01:27 Why does Emily think there isn't a standard VP of Engineering role?06:29 The archetypes of the VPE role10:15 How does the VPE role change as an organization grows?14:46 Preparing to become a VP of Engineering before you get the role20:11 How you can use personality tests in organizational design26:00 How is the VP of Engineering role changing in 2024?30:53 Teams are having to accept realities about production software with regards to AIShow Notes:Modern Practices for Goal Setting in Software Engineering Emily NakashimaEmily Nakashima (@eanakashima.bsky.social) — BlueskyObservability for Distributed Services | HoneycombStrengthsFinder 2.0 | EN - GallSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever