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

“I may prefer interactions that don't involve power, but that doesn't mean everyone else does.
If I'm not trying to play power games, but others are, then too bad, I'm playing — and probably losing.”
— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111386938537451037

#EngineeringLeadership #PowerDynamics

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111387399233124905

Happy Friday!

Reflecting on your work week, were you able to have the influence you wanted to? What were some ways that others influenced you?

How often do people do as you suggest?

https://agilein3minut.es/15

#Power #Influence #Leadership

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111386938537451037

Doing this music-making, and sharing it with you, has been one of my better life decisions. It’ll be sweet when I can get back to sharing it with you. Thanks for lending your ears. 🎵🎹💕

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111381673968397356

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111384035294484409

Weekly Piano Miniatures, complete playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkuryjnRFclTzNyap3TRgLtWxgQmbu5Am

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111382933024571872

Daily Piano Miniatures, complete playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkuryjnRFclQJqoIVpk9W9-eIRswejo-R

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111382932131263457

@Profpatsch when I can do that, I’ll spend the money on big iron instead.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111382549141860383

@Profpatsch thank you for the thought. I'm lucky to already have a merely 25-year-old Roland RD-600 to tide me over 💜

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111381710846026724

I'm pressing Pause on continuous delivery of music. When conditions change, I'll resume shipping to prod. https://schmonz.com/2023/11/09/intermission

In the meantime, please find and share your favorites from the last 1.5 years!

#PianoMiniature #PianoMiniatures #DailyPiano #WeeklyPiano

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111381673968397356

Some of you are too young to remember a time before Agile for Humans. In one of the very first episodes, Ryan Ripley, Bob Galen, and I talked about simplicity, risk, leadership, and how they're interconnected. https://overcast.fm/+EkqYFJpYg

(Hire me: https://schmonz.com/2023/08/05/who-needs-an-amitai)

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111376126482193318

@ptribble and I should say, Tribblix (hey thanks!) and Solaris are some of the OSes we'd want. This is for notqmail.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111371723580650074

@ptribble "Arbitrary" is more important than ".iso", so Digital Ocean's program looks promising, maybe even straightforward. (I've liked Vultr for one-offs in the past.) Thank you!

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111371719591751513

https://github.com/notqmail/notqmail/issues/250 says more about our needs (pretty basic, really) for a matrix of multi-platform builds.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111371376830695520

Dear #lazyweb,

Are there any VPS hosting providers that

(1) Allow arbitrary OSes to be installed from .iso

and

(2) Offer free-tier service to #OpenSource projects

?

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111369990655215663

No school today, so no office hours today. But don't wait till next week to ask me something! Set up a quick call for us via the link at https://latentagility.com.

(Pssst... I can still be hired for engineering leadership or senior engineering: https://schmonz.com/2023/08/05/who-needs-an-amitai)

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111369584161288348

“In environments that mandate 40 hours, it feels like I have to manage my time and energy against value delivered, so I alternate between erring one way and the other.”

— @schmonz

#DeveloperProductivity #KnowledgeWork #CognitiveLoad #EngineeringLeadership

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111364027973088537

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111365231197376028

“Developing valuable software that meets customers' needs is intellectually, emotionally, socially, and creatively taxing. If the development team's needs aren't being met, we can't expect them to succeed for long.”

— @schmonz

https://agilein3minut.es/14

#EngineeringManagement

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111364027973088537

@deborahh feels like it. And that’s how you know people put all their empathy and technical skill and many frequent little bits of care into it.

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111360063857102148

The technical documentation I treasure most has at least these tendencies:

1. To stay accurate over time
2. To defer learning we don't yet want
3. To clarify when a decision ought to be revisited
4. To appear in our moments of need

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111359436138818206

@deborahh fun to watch him figuring stuff out. I've got one kid taking lessons to add to what he's figuring out on his own, another who plays neighboring tones and sings along, and another who's still mostly observing. All three like to match the pitch of birdsong, lawnmower, church bells, ambulance, etc.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111347348078410763

@deborahh beautiful!

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111347305237554945

“I take greatest delight in my work when I'm being asked to solve problems whose challenges I can likely rise to meet, for people whose needs our solutions are likely to meet, with people whose generosity and skill bring out the best I have to offer.”

— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111346917623766682

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111347304692134508

How often is it fun to do your job?

https://agilein3minut.es/13

#EngineeringLeadership #StrategicAndIntentional #Perfectionism #Joy

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111346917623766682

On #notqmail's origin story:

“Who do I invite, and how do I invite them?”

“This kind of collaboration is possible because of the properties of the code.”

“What are some implementations we wouldn't want to merge? Give a picture of what we'd say no to.”

https://marcusblankenship.com/collaboration-and-notqmail-with-amitai-schleier/

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111336251644933021

Where: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89405675221?pwd=WHRueXFFbzZoaUsyTkxFV3hrOWpvQT09

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111329955678933334

“I’m gonna be so jealous of whoever gets to hire Amitai, that’s all I’ll say.”
— @d_stepanovic

I’m holding office hours today, 3 hours from now (that’ll be 12:15pm US/Eastern).

Bring your puns, dad jokes, code conundra, management challenges, anything else. See you there!

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111329861677665312

Regularly scheduled ways to hear/see/talk-with me: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111138474078663222

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111326039891323070

Hi. Does your org need an Amitai?

"Opportunity!! An awesome engineering leader!"
— @RuthMalan

I've got success stories from managing products, projects, and people.

I understand the challenges of delivering effective software as well as anyone.

https://schmonz.com/2023/08/05/who-needs-an-amitai

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111326032917622008

@RuthMalan 💜

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111325934740499097

"Being free means recognizing not only that choices are ours to make, but also that consequences are ours to incur. Effective use of being free means learning how to make choices that take consequences into account."
— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111324614548209393

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111325864309685496

@ska headed there right now

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111324828633093304

When you can do whatever you want, what should you want?

https://agilein3minut.es/12

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111324614548209393

Avoid "root cause analysis", or be disciplined about getting to the root. It's never the person nearest the visible mistake. And if we point a finger at them anyway, no analysis is needed to find the root cause for why everyone now feels much less safe.
— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111307328072037075

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111308347281448155

How was the week for you? Did you do some of your best work?

When do you do your best work?

https://agilein3minut.es/11

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111307328072037075

I’ve been a software developer, and will be again.
I’ve been a software team and product manager, and will be again.
I’m a #SoftwareDevelopment coach, and will never again not be one.

What’s #coaching like? How’d I find it? Listen to me with @maxmautner: https://theaccidentalengineer.com/coached-software-development-amitai-schleier/

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111296813638070783

Sorry, can't make office hours today. Should be back next week.

If something's on your mind, please feel free to find a time for you and me: https://latentagility.com/link/free-call

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111290521878641832

@GeePawHill one of the many reasons I’m attached to ikiwiki is how adaptably it embraces both.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111287633075244053

"When we frame what we're doing as an experiment, we've primed ourselves to digest surprising outcomes as the rich sources of valuable information they are."
— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111284633239921121

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111285720795188682

What if every action we took were an experiment?

https://agilein3minut.es/10

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111284633239921121

@Profpatsch rubber-duck-as-a-service

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111275788648429755

“Unless we continually defend against it, the cost of continued development tends to increase over time. The discipline of pair programming helps us notice when our own actions might be contributing to that cost, so that we can choose more effective actions.”

— @schmonz

https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111274406468397723

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111275293397464629

If working in pairs means getting half as much done, why is anyone still doing it?

https://agilein3minut.es/9

#PairProgramming #EnsembleProgramming #MobProgramming #CostCurve #XPLives

(Meant to post this yesterday morning. Sorry, missed my cue.)

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111274406468397723

Watch how Eike, Llewellyn, and I

- Fail to ship notqmail 1.09 after several years away
- Gain an explicit understanding of our release process
- End up with a decently detailed checklist

When we try again soon, our chances'll be much better.

https://youtu.be/lXolyyhXB18?si=1PA36HlS7XeVw_oI

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111263922243006181

By attempting to cut a release, we managed to remember a whole bunch of things that have to happen and in which order. Then we wrote them down.

Having done this, next time we try, we might succeed. 🤣

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111263162944215839

One hour from now, on my regularly scheduled stream, if all goes well, we’ll be releasing notqmail 1.09.

“We” not only because it’s #OpenSource with many contributors (including a couple dozen from my erstwhile #PubMob), but also because I’ll have help.

https://www.twitch.tv/schmonzie

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111262541600865716

@RuthMalan Entirely unreasonable

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111256815122040398

On Greater Than Code a few years back, @jessitron, @reinh, John Sawers, and I talked about:

- Running mail servers
- Orienting in new problem spaces
- Being intentional and precise while #refactoring
- Collecting techniques for the practical perfectionist

https://www.greaterthancode.com/bounded-perfection

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111256813944853963

@claresudbery Thank you! Yes, I know that fear well. What to do with it is a personal choice for every person in every situation. Sometimes I've been able to do what I talk about in the episode.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111251059042955321

Office half-hour today. Starts in one hour (that'll be 12:15pm US/Eastern). Drop in and join the conversation.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89405675221?pwd=WHRueXFFbzZoaUsyTkxFV3hrOWpvQT09

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111251028451672044

Reviewing a linear product backlog is like reviewing code. What alternatives were considered? Why were they ruled out? How were the decisions made? Under what conditions might we want to change them? None of this is visible from looking at one static path through a problem space.

---

original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111247046857702921

@ska One place, on day 1 I formed the impression that this job will end someday and when that happens I'll take at least three months off to do whatever _I_ want to do. Wound up being more like nine months. In the situation, I didn't (and still don't) think I had other acceptable options.

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original post: https://octodon.social/@schmonz/111246987531067359