How do you know that your production systems are working correctly? The answer is simple, but many small companies aren't doing it. Software breaks. Your production site or application will go down. Errors will happen. It's a law of (digital) nature. Just because your software is imperfect does not mean that your users need to suffer, and you need to be frustrated.

Engineers hesitate to transition into management roles, fearing they lack the necessary "soft skills." In reality, many such soft skills are just skillfully using proven tools and methods. There are frameworks that provide structure and guidance for navigating the new challenges that come with a managerial position. Here are a few of the more useful ones.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) describes how teams build software products. It outlines a structured way of designing, planning, building, deploying, and maintaining software. For first-time CTOs, founding engineers, or SaaS founders, it’s important to understand how the SDLC should work at different stages of their company growth. Most people focus and middle stages—such as planning, designing, and developing—as that is where the action is. There’s a critical part that often gets overlooked, especially by early-stage startups. Without it, companies are literally flying blind.

If you're not using "trunk flow" or "git flow," you're doing it wrong. Find out why your git branching strategy is important, and how to figure out if you're doing it right

What have you changed your mind about in the past six months? Ask this question the next time you interview someone, and be ready for an interesting conversation and novel insights into their personality.

Ever found yourself stuck, circling around a problem with no clear solution in sight? That's where breakthrough thinking comes in. Breakthrough thinking pushes us to question the invisible boundaries we unknowingly set for ourselves.

If you’ve ever tried to optimize a piece of software, you know the journey through O(n^2), O(n), O(log(n)), and O(1). Have you ever tried to get to O(zero)?.

Discover how to effectively manage tech debt in software engineering using OKRs. This article provides a comprehensive guide with practical steps and a real-life case study from a Silicon Valley startup. Learn strategies to improve code quality, reduce linting errors, and foster a culture of continuous improvement in your engineering team.

Managing documentation in an engineering department is not trivial. Use this list of practical tips to create an engineering documentation system that works. These concrete best practices come from real life practice, and have led to a living and useful documentation system at multiple software engineering departments.

While OKRs seem simple, there are many pitfalls. Here are some common mistakes people make when creating and using OKRs.

To make something more efficient, make it faster. Instead, find the waits and reduce them. While less intuitive, this is a much better approach that often yields massive improvements with relatively little effort.

Kopi Luwak is considered the best coffee in the world. What makes it great is intriguing, shocking, and offers an analogy on how something seemingly great can be perversely twisted into proverbial poop.

Bring in the expertise to grow and mature your engineering department earlier than you thought it was possible. By hiring a fractional CTO you can harness the expertise for growth and without the full-time cost. This strategic move fast-tracks your team maturity, delivering executive-level insight without breaking your budget.

Fancy technology does not make everything better. Lasers. On scissors. C'mon. What will they think of next.

Discover the design squiggle, a concept that captures the messy and uncertain journey of creative projects. Learn how visualizing this process can help teams navigate challenges and find their way to success.

Learn how to wrangle your company's OKRs with our opinionated essential guide. From setting ambitious goals to tracking progress, we share practical tips and best practices for effective OKR management. Take your business to the next level with this must-read article.