Philip Japikse: Catching up - Episode 359

Jul 21, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Philip Japikse, an international speaker and Microsoft MVP, shares insights from over 40 years in software development. He reveals why he still loves coding and discusses the critical difference between consulting and long-term support. Philip dives into Agile roles, effective communication, and the importance of embedding engineers in business. He compares rapid software releases to NASCAR strategies and highlights the significance of user experience over fleeting tech trends. Get ready for practical tips and thought-provoking anecdotes!

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ANECDOTE

Excel Tool Transformed User Efficiency

Phil built an Excel compare tool that drastically cut a multi-week manual process to about an hour.
This small tool earned him the most praise from users despite bigger ongoing projects.

INSIGHT

Embedded Engineers Boost Quality

Writing software for long-term support motivates higher code quality and ownership.
Embedding engineers in business meetings prevents miscommunication and ensures the right solution is built.

ADVICE

Visual Flowcharts & Feature Flags

Use visual flowchart tools like Figma to diagram business rules with stakeholders before coding.
Feature flag new releases to gather rapid feedback and adjust efficiently.

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An international speaker, Microsoft MVP, ASPInsider, MCSD, PSM II, PSD, and PST, and a passionate member of the developer community, Phil has been working with .NET since the first betas, developing software for over 40 years, and has been heavily involved in the Agile community since 2005 as well as a Professional Scrum Trainer. Phil has taken over the best-selling Pro C# books (Apress Publishing), including Pro C# 10, is the President of the Cincinnati .NET Users Group (Cinnug.org), and the Cincinnati Software Architect Group, founded and runs the CincyDeliver conference (Cincydeliver.org), and volunteers for the National Ski Patrol. During the day, Phil works as the CTO & Chief Architect for Pintas & Mullins. Phil always enjoys learning new tech and is always striving to improve his craft.

Topics of Discussion:

[2:53] Why Phil still loves writing software after 40-plus years.

[5:39] The difference between being a consultant and supporting code long-term.

[8:27] Agile roles and user experience.

[8:40] Embedding engineers in the business to avoid “telephone game” decisions.

[11:30] “Move fast” vs. move efficiently — real-world cautionary tales.

[13:40] Using Figma for business rule diagramming before writing a single line of code.

[14:52] Releasing 4 x per week and getting rapid feedback.

[16:49] NASCAR, motocross, and the connection of slow builds of how software teams avoid friction.

[18:41] Measuring team efficiency, and how Phil eliminated emergency production fixes by mandating quality.

[22:00] Feature flags, PBI coverage, and the team’s shared ownership of the code.

[26:09] AI in legal tech: where it works, where it doesn’t.

[34:56] The architectural shift created by LLMs, vector databases, and agents.

[39:42] AI is not the goal — it’s just a tool for solving the right problems.

[44:03] How Phil uses GitHub Copilot’s agent mode to streamline development. [46:03] Final thoughts: “It’s not about the tech. It’s about making someone’s life better.”

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net.

“Clear Measure, Inc.” (Sponsor)

“Philip Japikse: Professional C# in .NET - Episode 230”

“Philip Japikse: Migrating from .NET Framework to .NET 8 - Episode 296”

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