In this conversation, Alex Sims, a solution architect at James and James Fulfillment, shares his journey of championing change within the logistics sector. He offers insights into overcoming resistance when introducing innovative tech like containerization and migrating to AWS. Alex emphasizes aligning technical decisions with business goals and reflects on the shift to the Go programming language for improved web development. The discussion also touches on career growth through advocacy and the importance of clear communication in navigating modern challenges.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Advocacy Challenges
Alex Sims described his early experience at James and James, where he proposed major technical changes but faced skepticism from the team.
Over time, he gained understanding of existing systems and identified pain points, leading to strategic architectural proposals.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Gradual Container Adoption
Alex pilot tested Docker adoption by dockerizing applications for development use, easing team fears about containerization.
This gradual approach led to greater acceptance before moving Docker into production.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Strategic Monolith 'Incision'
A pivotal opportunity arose to rewrite a key picking service, allowing Alex to make a significant 'incision' in the monolith.
This was supported by new leadership and delivered measurable business value.
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How do you make change happen effectively? In this episode, Matt is joined by Alex Sims to discuss championing a cause and making change happen within your organization. They discuss various strategies, including how to get started, different technical approaches, and how to deal with those who resist change.
We've also have a new episode of Break! We've decided that Break will be video first, so you can watch it on YouTube or in your favorite podcast app by going to: https://break.show/ep/4.
For our supporters, we have extra content, including chapters on how observability factors into making change happen and how to deal with detractors and decrees from above. Not a supporter yet? You can fix that by heading over to https://fallthrough.fm/subscribe where you'll get not only extra content but also higher quality audio. Sign up today!
Thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
Table of Contents:
Prologue (01:39)
Chapter 1: Alex's Background (02:04)
Chapter 2: Becoming a Champion (08:02)
Chapter 3: Dealing with Detractors [Supporter Only] (21:25)
Chapter 4: Getting Started (22:10)
Chapter 5: Dealing with Decrees [Supporter Only] (27:57)
Chapter 6: Dealing with Detractors (continued) [Supporter Only] (28:29)
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