Better ROI from Software Development

#105: Security Briefing - Passwords

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on security, I want to talk about passwords. Passwords are historically our ubiquitous method of proving our identity. &nbsp...

#104: Security Briefing - Getting started

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're new to thinking about cyber security, in this episode I give you my top 5 recommendations to address in your organisation: Patching Backu...

#103: Security Briefing - Why cyber security matters to you

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this first of a mini-series on security, I look at why cyber security is so critical. ----- Find this episodes show notes at: https://red-folder.co...

#102: The Theory of Constraints - Part 2

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I discuss the Theory of Constraints as introduced in the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Modern software development methodolog...

#101 - The Theory of Constraints - Part 1

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I discuss the Theory of Constraints as introduced in the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Modern software development methodolog...

#100: Project to Product by Mik Kersten

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Better ROI from Software Development podcast. In this episode, I introduce the second book that I would recommend ...

#99: Value Streams and Value Stream Mappings

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I introduce Value Streams and Value Stream Mapping. Value Streams and&nbs...

#98: Open Source - Licences

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Open Source, in this episode I look at common licences. There are a variety of licences in Open Source - covering legal...

#97: Open Source - the motivation

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Open Source, in this episode I look at the motivation behind why it exists. Why would individuals, groups and even orga...

#96: Open Source - Is it really free?

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Open Source is everywhere - in our software, in our servers, and in the services we use every day - and its here to stay. In this episode, I give an i...

#95: Software Application Speed - the Content Delivery Network

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). In this...

#94: Software Application Speed - Caching

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - Caching. In this episode I introduce Caching - ...

#93: Software Application Speed - Website Performance Optimisation

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - Website Performance Optimisation. In this episo...

#92: Software Application Speed - UX Design

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the conversation on Software Application Speed, I look at one of the means of improvement - User Experience Design. In this episode I intro...

#91: Software Application Speed - why its important

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Speed of our software applications is rarely considered until it becomes a problem.  In this episode I talk about why speed it important in all o...

#90: Finding a Search Engine Optimisation Expert

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following on from last week's introduction into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), I wanted to provide my advice how to avoid the bad and the ugly of t...

#89: Search Engine Optimization - SEO

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is seen as highly desirable for driving traffic to your website. In this episode I address the myth of SEO being "fre...

#88: Eventual Consistency and the CAP Theorem

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever come across a website or mobile app that occasionally takes time to reflect changes? This maybe due to Eventual Consistency - a side-eff...

#87: The value of Meeting Agendas - an episode 83 follow up

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients. If you've not listened to it, it wa...

#86: Using Video for Rapid Feedback - an episode 83 follow up

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients. If you've not listened to it, it wa...

#85: Regular software releases - an episode 83 follow up

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients. If you've not listened to it, it wa...

#84: Service Level Agreements - an episode 83 follow up

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 83, I had a long chat with Trevor Ewen about how he provides software service to non-technical clients. If you've not listened to it, it wa...

#83: The non-technical buyer with Trevor Ewen

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I talk to Trevor Ewen about providing software solutions to the non-technical buyer. Trevor shares with us his experience on who a non...

#82: No, being furloughed should not influence recruitment

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is based on LinkedIn poll which asked the question: "Will you be judging jobseekers on whether or not they were furloughed during the pan...

#81 - Scrum - The dangers of misunderstanding

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Completing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I wanted to talk about the dangers of misunderstanding Scrum. Scrum is deceptively simple to underst...

#80: Scrum - Stopping a Sprint

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at stopping a sprint. Should you ever stop a sprint?  And if you do, under what circumst...

#79: Scrum - It will find your problems

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at Problems. We commonly struggle to raise and discuss Problems in our Organisations; but in ...

#78: Scrum - The team is asking for more

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I take a look at the potential warning flag of the team asking for more. While the team asking for m...

#77: Scrum - Conflict

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at conflict. We commonly have negative contentions about conflict; but in this episode, I tal...

#76: Scrum - The Definition of Done

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few episodes, I've been talking about Scrum, an agile framework. In thi...

#75: Scrum - Common Problems

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing my mini-series on the Scrum Framework, I look at some of the common problems I see with its adoption. I discuss problems with transitioning...

#74 - Scrum - Theories and Values

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following on from last week's primer of the Scrum, I take a look at some of the theories and values behind the Agile Framework.

#73: Scrum - A primer

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I introduce Scrum - an Agile Framework popular within Software Development. This episode serves as a primer for future episodes - in w...

#72: To bonus or not to bonus

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is a bonus the best form of employee motivation? In this podcast I talk about the dangers of a bonus culture and how to think about it differently.

#71: Meetings - the good, the bad and the ugly

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode I talk about meetings as they relate to Software Development - I introduce you to the good, the bad and the ugly.

#70: Making time for focus

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I ask if we are making enough time for focused work. Focused work is critical to us to allow us to solve problems and do the most valu...

#69: New Year's resolutions

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I talk about the similarities between our New Year resolutions and major business initiatives; why we set them, why they are attractiv...

#68: 2021 Predictions

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year and welcome to 2021. In this episode I share my predictions for the year ahead. With Covid-19 doing more to drive technical disruptio...

#67: Bad for ROI - The Silver Bullet

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today's marketing is full of the promise of miracle cures for our problems. Full of "Do this one thing to achieve amazing results". Full of Silver Bul...

#66: Practices applied - How I use them

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I talk about a recent software project and how I've used many of the processes I have introduced in prior podcasts. I talk about how ...

#65: Bad for ROI - 100% Utilisation

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Having your team working at 100% utilisation is a good thing for ROI, right? Software Developers are expensive, surely maximizing their available time...

#64: Bad for ROI - Big Bang

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Doing "Big Bang" releases may seem like an effective use of time and people.  They may carry huge prestige and bragging rights for their leadersh...

#63: Bad for ROI - The Rockstar developer

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We think we want to employ the "Rockstar" developer.  We want the superstar. We actively recruit for it - we even put it into the job adverts. Bu...

#62: Bad for ROI: The Gantt Chart

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Gantt Charts are a popular tool for visualising dependencies for complex activities.  In this episode I discuss why the use of Gantt Charts are b...

#61: The UK Executive's attitudes towards custom Software Development survey

04 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Through September I ran a survey to establish UK Executive's attitudes towards custom Software Development. Unfortunately the survey failed to obtain ...

#60: The Programmers Oath - I will never stop learning and improving my craft

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development. I take a look at the ninth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob...

#59: The Programmers Oath - I will produce estimates that are honest both in magnitude and precision

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development. I take a look at the eighth oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bo...

#58: The Programmers Oath - I will continuously ensure that others can cover for me, and that I can cover for them

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development. I take the seventh oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin,...

#57 - The Programmer's Oath - I will do all that I can to keep the productivity of myself, and others, as high as possible

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development.  Please take the time and hav...

#56 - The Programmer's Oath - I will fearlessly and relentlessly improve my creations at every opportunity

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development.  Please take the time and hav...

#55: The Programmers Oath: I will make frequent, small, releases so that I do not impede the progress of others.

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development.  Please take the time and hav...

#54: The Programmers Oath: I will produce, with each release, a quick, sure, and repeatable proof that every element of the code works as it should.

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During September, I'm running a short survey to understand UK Executive's attitudes to custom software development.  Please take the time and hav...

#53: The Programmers Oath - The code that I produce will always be my best work

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development. I take the second oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, ...

#52: The Programmers Oath - I will not produce harmful code

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I continue to look at professionalism in software development. I take the first oath from the Programmer's Oath by Uncle Bob Martin, i...

#51: Professionalism in Software Development - The Programmers Oath

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I start to look at professionalism in software development. Software development doesn't have the same level of professionalism & ...

#50: Series recap

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I provide a recap of the episodes since the last recap show (episode #25). This episode is both a recap of the series since episode #2...

#49: Assuming another person's intent purely from their actions

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I want to discuss how dangerous it can be to assume another persons intent purely from their actions. This is a message I am seeing co...

#48: Its not just about building the right thing - its also about building the thing right

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few episodes I've talked about learning to improve our individuals, teams and entire organisations to handle change. In this episode I w...

#47: Deliberate Practice, Code Katas and Game Days

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning. In the last few episodes, I talked about; Why learning is so important to me pers...

#46: Helping our teams with Individuals Learning

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning. In the last two episodes I talked about why Learning is so important to me personal...

#45: Organisational Learning

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I wanted to continue the conversation on Learning. In my last episode I talked about why Learning is so important to me personally. In...

#44: Learning

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I wanted to start talking about learning. Learning is one of the singularly overlooked concepts in running a business.  I believe...

#43: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Serverless

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the current few episodes I am introducing a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery. These are: Containers Docker Kubernetes ...

#42: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Container Orchestrators and Kubernetes

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the current few episodes I am introducing a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery. These are: Containers Docker Kubernetes An...

#41: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining Containers and Docker

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the next few episodes I want to introduce a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery. These are: Containers Docker Kubernetes An...

#40: Containers, Docker, Kubernetes and Serverless - explaining virtualisation

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the next few episodes I want to introduce a number of technologies from modern Software Delivery. These are: Containers Docker Kubernetes An...

#39: Improving predictability in Software Development by asking the team to do less

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I find that quite often business owners and leaders desire a level of predictability that isn't being achieved by their software development teams. Th...

#38: The Covid-19 episode - Helping our unexpected remote workers

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I'm recording this on Tuesday the 21st May 2020. At this point, in the UK, we have been under lock down for 4 weeks. UK rules discourage person to per...

#37: Avoiding over focus on the short term

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I find that many organisations have a myopic over focus on the immediate term. This over focus drives poor return on investment over the longer term. ...

#36: Recruitment - Bonus Episode 2 - Feedback

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last 10 episodes I've been focused on recruitment. I had originally planned to finish that mini-series two episodes back; but then I gave you...

#35: Recruitment - Bonus Episode - The best hire you can make

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Last week I completed a mini-series of 9 episodes looking at various aspects of recruitment. As I went through the series I decided I wanted to give y...

#34: Recruitment - Getting the best and keeping them

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the final part of a recruitment mini-series; where I have been focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in rec...

#33: Recruitment - Act quickly

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of a recruitment mini-series; where I am focusing on various characteristics that I believe are important in recruitment. And whi...