Amitai Schleier

@schmonz@schmonz.com

Force multiplier.
Outcome improver.
Decision sharer.
Developer, leader, coach.
https://agilein3minut.es podcaster.
Musician.
Bad poet (award-winning).
JoinedApr 05, 2017 (@octodon.social)
SelfHostedMar 30, 2025
Pronounshe/they
Podcasthttps://agilein3minut.es
Consultancyhttps://latentagility.com
Morehttps://schmonz.com
Keyoxideaspe:keyoxide.org:PAC6KHICU3QSHQZVPJCZFS7KIA
📌 9 ★ 5 ↺

[?]Amitai Schleier »
@schmonz@schmonz.com

Teammate on most recent team gave me this parting feedback: “I learned a ton, we got lots done, our team dynamics were awesome, and I’ve never felt this kind of team feeling before.”

If your business makes software, I might be good for your business.

https://schmonz.com/snac/schmonz/p/1750949585.435936

...

[?]Deborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦 »
@deborahh@cosocial.ca

@schmonz I vouch for Amitai! 👍

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    With a system composed of fewer, more legible parts, you'll have fewer runtime surprises, and you can more easily:

    - See and fix any remaining ones
    - Recompose parts to add functionality
    - Adjust to meet people's real needs

    Messy code is a competitive disadvantage. #refactoring



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112968140781269140

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    OH: "It's a chicken-and-egg-and-ostrich-and-sand problem"



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112951186553704006

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    @tottinge my skin is technically being washed with water. Sweatiest kind of correct.



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112920611716464242

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    Current status: sitting sweatily on the plane, doing my daily ablutions before takeoff, abluting this rather apropos aphorism.



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112920585180090669

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    With #TestDrivenDevelopment, we can know in moments whether our code does everything we’ve ever asked it to do.

    If not, oops, we fix it.

    If yes, we can ask more of it.

    #BoundedPerfection



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112846051153299670

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    #ExtremeProgramming attracts people for different reasons. It can produce alignment of individual proclivities and team goals.

    I hadn't been aiming that far ahead; I'd been looking for a foothold to climb out of a persistent hole.

    A bit more about that: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jack-hannah_by-default-i-wasnt-effective-in-a-business-activity-7221620343000477696-3jI8



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112840072859789219

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    @kevinrutherford Yes, email for a long time (haven't bothered with calendar yet). The initial setup might be less than you'd think, and the ongoing maintenance definitely less than you'd think, with a good book like this one from @mwl: https://mwl.io/nonfiction/tools#ryoms . And then your stuff is yours, and one less part of your digital life is mystical. I've found it worthwhile.

    (For long-winded personal reasons I run and develop @notqmail instead of using Postfix. https://schmonz.com/2017/03/27/automation-for-mail-hosting/ says more in terms that might appeal to your XP feelings, but I cannot yet honestly recommend notqmail to folks who aren't already running qmail. Someday.)



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112824548955327294

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    [?]Amitai Schleier »
    @schmonz@schmonz.com

    Conjecture: Given developers of sufficient seasoning, #refactoring “when it feels good” is effectively equivalent to refactoring “to invest company money wisely”.

    (Developers at every level can be thinking about how well the two are correlated. A good way to acquire seasoning.)



    original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112823231934165926

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    [?]Brian Marick »
    @marick@mstdn.social

    @schmonz @logosity Klein’s /Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions/ is good on expert decision-making. “When it feels good” can be a symptom of tacit knowledge being put to use.

    goodreads.com/book/show/65229.

    Building up such tacit knowledge takes time.

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      [?]Amitai Schleier »
      @schmonz@schmonz.com

      @logosity@discuss.systems @marick@mstdn.social exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of. Sounds like a good read for me.

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        When I refactor, it’s mostly because both of these are expected true:

        1. It feels good

        2. It invests company money wisely

        When I get carried away with #refactoring, they both turn false. Same when I haven’t been doing nearly enough of it.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112820851096100456

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        For at least a year, our medium* child upon seeing my desktop background has proclaimed “sahn-da-WEECH”. Sometimes even “sahn-da-WEECH-a”.

        Upon our return there today I made sure to say it.

        *by age, size, and frequency and obviousness of communications with other dimensions



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112809415944602274

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Vacation always serves to remind me: if it's annoying, don't defer making a small investment.

        Now, instead of

        $ nb boot ubuntu 24 arm64

        I can just type

        $ nb boot ubuntu

        to bring up the latest version matching the host's arch.

        https://github.com/schmonz/nbvm/commit/a1a3a363552f24549e458ecad203d40af75cb4b1



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112807535615506371

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Travel router in the overhead bin gatewaying to captive portal. Have a T-Mobile “phone number” with my grandfathered free iPad 200MB data plan that qualifies for free WiFi on this flight. So all our devices are online. Feeling clever.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112770189793180225

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @antoinealberti Thanks! When you try it, let us know how you get on. @rayckeith



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112762362464420795

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @deborahh also yes, new job is great and also also yes, hoping to have a little more time here soon 🙂



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112758009299360099

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @deborahh Cool to see that one making the rounds again. Thanks for pointing it out and passing it along @rayckeith



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112758006706887461

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        When we test-drive, we can trust ourselves later.

        When we trust ourselves later, we can do less now.

        When we do less now, later gets easier.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112757885278922902

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Here’s what Greencently adds to #JUnit5, in its entirety:

        Given a completed test run
        When it included all possible tests in the project
        And all of them ran green
        Then a particular file’s timestamp gets updated

        Easy peasy! Let’s teach every test framework to do this.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112751281464198194

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        “Funding test-design improvements by reinvesting a bonus is more likely to succeed than by trying to get priorities to change.”

        If you run #JUnit 5 tests on pre-commit, here’s your bonus: https://schmonz.com/software/greencently

        (Pays off on day 1.)

        For other frameworks, help wanted! #tdd #xp



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112750690834985694

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Do we have a memorable mantra for how to proceed when encountering a test failure?

        (Something short and sweet and stepwise, akin to #TDD's "Red, Green, Refactor", would be amazing.)



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112678142576361882

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Last night G went shopping in the pantry after dinner and requested brown rice. So that’s what’s for dinner tonight.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112668125321754130

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Learn a little more, plan a little more.

        Expect to learn more, plan a little less.



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112580711469352795

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        A decade-old Raspberry Pi being useful.

        An even older USB printer staying useful.

        https://schmonz.com/2024/06/07/small-arms/

        #RPi #Pine64 #ARM #AArch64



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112576419363751951

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @donaldegray works (very very well) for me 🙂



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112509056269135763

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @donaldegray ah. Best to you (and bester to Esther)



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112459205087122936

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @donaldegray Any progress towards understanding what you weren't understanding?



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112457432270835509

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @donaldegray If it's confusing, I squeezed the talk too hard trying to toot the germ of it. Did you get to see the abstract and/or slides and/or talk at the link?



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112439592322282996

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        A new talk, on the Extremity — and the Programmeriness — of Extreme Programming:

        https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112434238894485284



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112435690096723597

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Premise: Everyone involved with software teams needs them to pay off.

        Claim 1: Compared with other ways to try to ensure ROI, #XP is hardly extreme at all.

        Claim 2: XP is therefore for everyone involved with software teams.

        "Not So #ExtremeProgramming": https://schmonz.com/2024/05/10/nyc-large-scale-scrum-may-2024-not-so-extreme-programming/



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112434238894485284

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        What we need from software teams: ROI

        How: Give us good choices to make

        How:
        - Risk intentionality + cost control
        - Situational awareness
        - Predictability (in some actually useful way)
        - Conserve "surprise!" budget for market discoveries

        Slides + Video: https://schmonz.com/2024/05/10/nyc-large-scale-scrum-may-2024-not-so-extreme-programming/



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112423661664033921

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Here's my first new talk in years, grown from one of the seeds @d_stepanovic is always planting.

        It's for anyone who cares about software investments yielding returns.

        It's called "Not So #ExtremeProgramming":

        https://youtu.be/dqABaoybMM8?si=sS3MIBiI-lkXhutZ

        #XP #XPLives #Agile #Scrum #LeSSIsMore



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112418516538373038

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @Brodyberg I may or may not have learned the last bit a little later than the first bit



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112412966875302061

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Joining a team? Want to communicate your intent for shared long-term success? Tell everyone your weaknesses, how you manage them, how and when you'll need help. Think how much information that conveys.

        (Including that you feel safe to do so. So if you don't… don't.)



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112412699898016769

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        “notqmail remains a uniquely challenging #LegacyCode rehabilitation project, and 1.09 is merely a solid, long-overdue release that includes the work of a couple dozen new contributors.”

        notqmail 1.09 is here: https://schmonz.com/2024/05/07/notqmail-109-released/

        #qmail #notqmail #smtp #OpenSource



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112400389309692167

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        If you've felt #XP's "collective code ownership", you want everyone to have the chance to feel it.

        When you've felt it, what are some of the factors that made it possible?

        When it's been out of reach, what were some of the obstacles?

        #XPLives #ExtremeProgramming #dev



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112385626163179175

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @davenicolette@mastodon.social The name has surely repelled people who would have taken on the ideas, just as surely as “Agile” has attracted people who didn’t and don’t. There is something of some value we’ve gotten in exchange: when people say they’re Agile we have to doubt, but when people say they’re doing XP we can pretty much believe them. A worthwhile naming tradeoff? Hard to know. As Kent might say, compared to what?



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112300066210625513

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @narthur I'll have one made either way, please



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112292081801911545

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        Where #Agile sounds pleasant and inclusive, #ExtremeProgramming… doesn’t. But it’s a differentiator: #XP teams move with uncommon agility. Relevant to non-programmer non-extremists! So how to take advantage?

        My first public talk in years: https://schmonz.com/talk/2024-lessnyc-may/

        #XPLives #LeSS



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112292066431508692

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        @qcoding Totally forgot about this. Great example and also illustrates Easiest Nearest Owwie First (https://www.geepawhill.org/2019/03/03/refactoring-pro-tip-easiest-nearest-owwie-first/)



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112289944414264103

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        [?]Amitai Schleier »
        @schmonz@schmonz.com

        When you coach technique, you need coach techniques. Here's one for entering a team: https://schmonz.com/2024/04/17/coach-technique-give-a-gift

        #SoftwareDevelopment #Coaching



        original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/112288543174876062

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