Heimir Thor Sverrisson: Architecture First, Tech Debt Second

Heimir Thor Sverrisson joins Robby to discuss the importance of software architecture in long-term maintainability. With over four decades in the industry, Heimir has witnessed firsthand how poor architectural decisions can set teams up for failure. He shares his experiences mentoring engineers, tackling technical debt, and solving large-scale performance problems—including one bank’s misguided attempt to fix system slowness by simply adding more CPUs.

Heimir also discusses his work at MojoTech, the value of code reviews in consulting, and his volunteer efforts designing radiation-tolerant software for satellites.

Episode Highlights

• [00:01:12] Why architecture is the foundation of maintainability – Heimir explains why starting with the wrong architecture dooms software projects.
• [00:02:20] Upfront design vs. agile methodologies – The tension between planning and iterative development.
• [00:03:33] When architecture becomes the problem – How business pivots can render initial designs obsolete.
• [00:05:06] The rising demand for rapid software delivery – Why modern projects have less time for deep architectural planning.
• [00:06:15] Defining technical debt in practical terms – How to clean up code without waiting for permission.
• [00:09:56] The rewrite that never launched – What happens when a company cancels a multi-million-dollar software project.
• [00:12:43] How a major bank tackled system slowness the wrong way – Adding CPUs didn’t solve their performance problems.
• [00:15:00] Performance tuning as an ongoing process – Why fixing one bottleneck only reveals the next.
• [00:22:34] How MojoTech mentors instead of manages – Heimir explains how their consultancy approaches team development.
• [00:27:54] Building software for space – How AMSAT develops radiation-resistant software for satellites.
• [00:32:52] Staying relevant after four decades in tech – The power of curiosity in a constantly changing industry.
• [00:34:26] How AI might (or might not) help maintainable software – Heimir shares his cautious optimism.
• [00:37:14] Non-technical book recommendation – The Man Who Broke Capitalism and its relevance to the tech industry.

Resources & Links

• Heimir Thor Sverrisson on LinkedIn
• Heimir’s GitHub
• MojoTech
• AMSAT – Amateur Radio Satellite Organization

Book Recmmendations

• The Man Who Broke Capitalism
• How to Make Things Faster

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