Prefrontal by Cortex

Dr. Shannon Burns, an Assistant Professor at Pomona College, specializes in social neuroscience and the impact of social interactions on neural processes. She discusses how flow states can enhance developer experience and job satisfaction. Dr. Burns dives into the importance of team dynamics and psychological safety, highlighting how collaborative environments foster innovation. The conversation also explores the significance of informal interactions and brain synchronization during teamwork, offering practical insights for boosting productivity and well-being.

Join Max Kanat-Alexander, Principal Staff Software Engineer at LinkedIn, as he dives into the world of platform engineering and developer productivity. He shares insights on creating systems that enhance developer experiences and the importance of fostering 'developer joy' for productivity. Max discusses the delicate balance between qualitative and quantitative data in measuring success and emphasizes the necessity of team dynamics over individual metrics. His strategies for implementing a productivity and happiness framework provide actionable tips for tech leaders.

Today we’re having an engaging conversation with John Willis, an influential author, entrepreneur, and thought leader in the realm of Generative AI and its integration with DevOps practices. Known for his profound understanding of Dr. Edwards Deming’s transformative principles and his pioneering work in the field of DevOps, John will share how these principles have revolutionized software development and operational efficiency. This episode is perfect for DevOps and Platform Engineering professionals, software engineers, and anyone interested in how Generative AI can enhance traditional software practices. We'll explore John's contributions and career, his insights into blending innovative technologies with established DevOps/Platform principles, and the impact of these advancements on the software industry. Links and Related Materials: Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge, author John Willis: https://itrevolution.com/product/demings-journey-to-profound-knowledge/ The High Velocity Edge, Dr. Steve Spear: https://www.thehighvelocityedge.com/ Dr. Jabe Bloom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jabebloom/ Mentioned as most downloaded paper from the Harvard Business Review, 'Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production Ecosystem: https://hbr.org/1999/09/decoding-the-dna-of-the-toyota-production-system 'The Attention Is All You Need': https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2017/file/3f5ee243547dee91fbd053c1c4a845aa-Paper.pdf Brian Scott, Lessons from Adobe on Gen AI Governance: https://itrevolution.com/articles/generative-ai-governance-at-scale-lessons-from-adobe/

In this episode, we delve deep into the world of Internal Developer Portals (IDPs) and their transformative impact on enterprise development ecosystems. Our guest, Luke Shannon, shares invaluable insights from their extensive experience, from founding a groundbreaking portal company to its strategic acquisition by RedHat. Luke’s currently at the helm of developing a new kind of IDP, poised to redefine developer experiences yet again. And you all probably know that with the recent Spotify Portal announcement there’s a lot of appetite to figure out the right path forward here.

Luca Galante, a visionary in platform engineering and a leader at Humanitec, discusses the transformative power of internal developer platforms. He underscores the importance of reducing cognitive load for developers and the need for specialized roles to enhance efficiency. The conversation touches on the Minimum Viable Platform, emphasizing developer autonomy and integration delivery. Luca also highlights how identifying pain points in workflows can lead to significant improvements, along with the crucial role of automation and standardization in preventing outages.

Abi Noda, CEO of DX and host of the Engineering Enablement podcast, dives deep into the vital topic of developer experience. He discusses how essential metrics shape productivity and the balance between qualitative and quantitative data. Noda highlights the need for clear terminology as technologies evolve, especially with generative AI. He also stresses the importance of prioritizing code readability over efficiency while sharing research efforts connecting developer experience with business outcomes. Overall, it's an enlightening look at enhancing developer environments.

Join John Burns as he shares insights on transforming Grubhub’s platform from monolithic systems to a microservices architecture. Discover the creation of an internal developer portal designed to enhance developer autonomy and streamline operations. Explore the significance of aligning organizational culture with technology choices, the evolution of tech communities, and the balance between compliance and innovation. Plus, dive into the impact of AI and automation on development processes, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in team dynamics.

Our pilot episode of Prefrontal by Cortex! Lauren Craigie (Head of PMM at Cortex) is joined by Justin Reock, Head of Developer Relations at Cortex for a conversation about meausuring developer productivity. You'll hear: -How DORA and SPACE relate to one another -Why the SPACE framework has faced headwinds despite increasing support -What the developer tooling ecosystem has been missing to make metrics actionable Studies and materials referenced throughout the conversation: Peopleware Book - https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/... SPACE Framework - https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3... April 2022 study showing deep misalignment between ICs and GCs and not enough concern for (S)atisfaction (p.4 Table 4) - https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.04302.pdf Blog on disconnect between outcomes and output - https://www.cortex.io/post/the-only-w... Cortex Eng Intelligence announcement - https://www.cortex.io/post/introducin...