Boring's Hidden Genius
A Reminder That a Basic Approach Can Lead to Novel Creations by Pat Cullen
Over the years, one career lesson has resonated with me again and again: being boring is good if it creates space for novel results. In a world brimming with shiny new toys and distractions, it can be tempting to constantly chase the latest, the greatest, the most novel approaches. Rather than getting swept up in every new trend or tool, the real merit is in recognizing and committing to what truly matters for the business. Here are a couple of examples from my past to help reinforce the point.
From roadmap reluctance to realignment
Once upon a time, I used to detest roadmaps. For me, they were synonymous with chaotic sprints leading nowhere but towards metaphorical brick walls. However, as our business grew and more stakeholders emerged, I realized I was missing a tool to keep everyone aligned. I tried to invent my own ways of keeping everyone in the loop. Days if not weeks were lost to me trying to reinvent the wheel. Eventually, with a tad bit of reluctance, I experimented with the roadmap concept again. Lo and behold, the tool I once loathed became an incredible way to ensure everyone was rowing in the same direction. The winning move? Harnessing roadmaps to prompt inquiries rather than setting them up on an unquestionable pedestal. This freed up time to focus on the details that actually filled up those roadmap items as opposed to explaining our process.
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Reinventing Roles: What is a Product Engineer?
Rolling back the years, my resume was peppered with specialized roles at companies that unintentionally created silos. My response once I gained more influence? Hiring a legion of jack-of-all-trades software engineers. I even renamed them “Product Engineers” instead of “Software Engineers” just to make a point (SEO was not my friend). However, as the intricacies of our business began to unfold, these generalists found themselves spread too thin. The solution? A standard cross-matrix product organization. While we still urge our software engineers to support many responsibilities, these specialized roles help us maintain a well-rounded focus that maximizes our value to the business and has books upon books written about their best practices.
Beyond the Hype: Sticking to Time-Tested Tech
As a tech leader, I've often been wary of grand technical projects that promise to change the world but take ages to complete. For the microservice purists, our team’s technology and infrastructure can look rather monolithic.
Several times per year, exceptional engineers will point this out to me. I welcome the conversation. The engineer and I will start breaking down the pain points of the system to identify if a large infrastructure decoupling project is actually in our best interest. Inevitably, we land on something much smaller in scope to truly tackle the core issue at play.
We keep an eye on our agility, ensure our teams stay balanced, and invest when it makes sense. If you look at our stack, it’s pretty boring. Why? Because when our tech is reliable and efficient, it allows our product to take center stage instead of our next tech rewrite. And this boring stack of ours is deploying changes dozens of times per day.
In Conclusion...
We all love the allure of the shiny, the new, the different. But like a magpie, being constantly drawn to the next sparkly thing can be our downfall. Instead, let's vow to pause, reflect on our whys, and channel our creative zest into what genuinely matters.
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Etienne