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Engineering Culture by InfoQ
Engineering Excellence: Declan Whelan on Technical Health, Agile Practices, and Team Culture
Sep 13, 2024
Declan Whelan, an expert in technical health and agile practices, dives into the nuances of software development. He reframes 'technical debt' as 'technical health,' emphasizing proactive measurements that enhance customer value. The conversation touches on the challenges of agile practices, the evolution of methodologies, and the shift from monoliths to microservices. Whelan also underscores the importance of team culture, advocating for collective code ownership and innovative practices like pair and mob programming to boost collaboration and product quality.
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Quick takeaways
- Focusing on technical health rather than just technical debt enables organizations to assess software development practices with respect to business outcomes.
- Measurable metrics, particularly DORA metrics, are crucial for enhancing technical health and improving software delivery processes in teams.
Deep dives
Understanding Technical Health
The concept of technical health reframes the traditional notion of technical debt, emphasizing a more positive and holistic approach. Instead of viewing technical debt purely negatively, technical health encourages teams to recognize that every system has inherent qualities that contribute to its effectiveness. This perspective allows organizations to evaluate their software development practices in relation to specific business outcomes, enabling a more flexible understanding of what 'health' means in different contexts. By shifting the focus from just addressing debt to improving overall health, teams can actively engage in practices that lead to better software delivery and a healthier development environment.
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