

Maintainable
Robby Russell
Do you feel like you're hitting a wall with your existing software projects? Are you curious to hear how other people are navigating this? You're not alone.
On the Maintainable Software Podcast, Robby speaks with seasoned practitioners who have overcome the technical and cultural problems often associated with software development.
Our guests will share stories in each episode and outline tangible, real-world approaches to software challenges. In turn, you'll uncover new ways of thinking about how to improve your software project's maintainability.
On the Maintainable Software Podcast, Robby speaks with seasoned practitioners who have overcome the technical and cultural problems often associated with software development.
Our guests will share stories in each episode and outline tangible, real-world approaches to software challenges. In turn, you'll uncover new ways of thinking about how to improve your software project's maintainability.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 16, 2020 • 41min
Adrianna Chang: Using the Strangler Fig Pattern at Shopify
Robby speaks with Adrianna Chang, Software Developer at Shopify. They discuss the benefits of using SOLID principles. Adrianna also shares how Shopify has been turning a Ruby on Rails monolith into a module monolith, along with an overview of Shopify's Dev Degree Program and her experience through it.Helpful LinksAdrianna on TwitterAdrianna on LinkedInArticle: Refactoring Legacy Code with the Strangler Fig Pattern[Book Recommendation] The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal PerformanceSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Nov 9, 2020 • 41min
Mark Downie: Balancing The Promises That Open Source Projects Make
Robby speaks with Mark Downie, Program Manager at Microsoft. They discuss the benefits of frameworks and approaches to making your open source project accessible and welcoming to new contributors and users. Mark also shares how Visual Studio's workflow for navigating customer requirements and getting early feedback, along with an introduction to what a Program Manager role is responsible for on the Visual Studio team.Helpful LinksMark on TwitterMark's Blog[Book Recommendation] The Customer-Driven PlaybookSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Nov 2, 2020 • 42min
Glenn Vanderburg: Don't Ask For Small Things
Robby speaks with Glenn Vanderburg, Executive Director of Software Development at RE/MAX. They discuss what types of documentation should go in the repository vs external content tools and the importance of acknowledging how helpful older code was to get you to here. Glenn also shares the benefits of hiring developers who had made a career change prior to becoming a developer, along with the challenges for software engineers and organizations during COVID with everyone being distributed.Helpful LinksGlenn on TwitterGlenn’s Website[Book Suggestion] Style: Lessons in Clarity and GraceSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastJoin the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Oct 26, 2020 • 43min
Suzan Bond: Embracing Discomfort and Navigating Transitions
Robby speaks with Suzan Bond, Leadership Coach. They discuss how to advocate for your growth within your existing teams and the responsibilities of the individual and the organization. Suzan also shares how COVID is resulting in the fear of burnout and indicators that you might be nearing it yourself, along with advice to managers and developers on how to approach their next one-on-ones.Helpful LinksSuzan on TwitterSuzan’s Website[Book] Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, William BridgesSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

9 snips
Oct 19, 2020 • 47min
Nicolas Carlo: Changing Messy Software Without Breaking It
Nicolas Carlo, Senior Tech Lead at BusBud, discusses the benefits of using feature toggling/flags, the importance of documentation and knowledge sharing in deploying software, and strategies for managing technical debt including sustainability weeks and upgrading dependencies. They also explore the challenges of managing dependencies and the considerations of rewriting vs refactoring existing software projects.

Oct 12, 2020 • 48min
Brittany Martin: How to Quit Your Job and Leave Your Code in Good Hands
Robby speaks with Brittany Martin, Engineering Lead at TextUs. They discuss the mistakes that developers make when discussing technical debt with stakeholders and why it is important to write automated tests against a live/production API. Brittany also shares how she became the host of the 5by5 Ruby on Rails podcast, along with her recent journey of changing jobs and passing technical knowledge over to peers and a future replacement.Helpful LinksBrittany on TwitterBrittany's website5by5 Ruby on Rails podcastSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Oct 5, 2020 • 52min
Luke Redpath: User Stories Should Prompt Conversations
Robby speaks with Luke, experienced software developer and consultant. They discuss the challenges of being an iOS developer and what effective user stories should look like. Luke also shares how he is navigating the world of looking for full-time employment after a decade of freelancing.For interview practice, Robby asks Luke an interview question that Planet Argon asks prospective Ruby on Rails developers — hear his response!Helpful LinksLuke on TwitterLuke's WebsiteSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Sep 28, 2020 • 1h 9min
Hampton Lintorn Catlin: Only Add Complexity When Necessary
Robby speaks with Hampton Lintorn Catlin, CEO at Veue. They discuss how to reframe technical updates as investments and lessons learned from collaborating in open source. Hampton also shares how why he avoids the phrase "technical debt", along with his first-hand story of how he helped invent the open-source projects Haml and Sass.Helpful LinksHampton on TwitterHampton's websiteVeueHampton's Wikipedia[Book] Cryptonomicon[Book] Snow CrashSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Sep 21, 2020 • 35min
Pat Kua: The Challenges that Come with Becoming a Tech Lead
Robby speaks with Pat Kua, Advisor, Mentor, and Coach at Patkua.com. They discuss good documentation and the consequences of the hero culture. Pat also shares how he transitioned from an individual contributor to his current role, along with the benefits of finding mentors and seeking advice from people in other fields.Helpful LinksPat on TwitterPat on LinkedInPat's WebsiteLevel Up NewsletterCourses[Book] Drive[Book] Thinking in SystemsSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

Sep 14, 2020 • 51min
Aaron Blohowiak: The Myth of the Sufficiently Smart Engineer
Robby speaks with Aaron Blohowiak, Senior Software Engineer at Netflix. They discuss mistakes teams make when refactoring too much before finding a product-market-fit and how Netflix deals with technical debt. Aaron also shares some early era Ruby on Rails stories, along with reasons why developers might be intimidated to apply at top-tier organizations like Netflix.Helpful LinksAaron on TwitterAaron on LinkedIn[Book] Radical Candor[Book] Thinking in SystemsSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Join the discussion in the Maintainable Discord Community
Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.