Knowledge shared by our community

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.

Overcoming Remote Work Challenges

Remote work has become a reality due to the global pandemic, and it comes with both benefits and downsides. To make the most of it, organizations should double down on documentation, establish a common time zone, and use that time efficiently. Additionally, individuals should create a routine to stay focused and productive. Lastly, collaboration can be worked around with a solid plan and reliable tools.

Build Your Product Quickly

This article outlines a four-step approach to quickly build a product, based on the author's successful delivery of a brand new product in nine months. The steps involve identifying the problem to be solved, setting an achievable goal, keeping customers in the loop, and partnering wisely. The author emphasizes the importance of keeping the product simple, engaging with external stakeholders early on, and setting realistic milestones.

When Legacy Codebase Stalls Innovation

The leader of a legacy codebase wanted to instill an innovation mindset in their team and took various steps to do so, such as surveying the engineering team, securing buy-in from leadership, researching innovation, organizing hackathons, and establishing internship opportunities. Through these steps, the team was able to move away from the legacy codebase and track their progress incrementally while still delivering features to stakeholders.

Making Delivery Faster

This article outlines the steps taken by a software development team to improve their release cycles from two weeks to daily releases. The team identified process bottlenecks and worked to alleviate them by moving some of their back-end and API pods to Kanban, establishing regular check-in meetings, and creating a feedback loop with third parties. The team was ultimately successful in their endeavor, and the lessons learned included the importance of communication and the benefits of daily releases.

Building an Organization From the Ground Up

This article discusses the challenges faced by the engineering leader of a startup in the mom-and-pop gardening space. The leader had to quickly scale the product up, attract users, and generate marketplace transactions on the platform, while also growing the engineering team. To do this, the leader had to decide on technical foundations, explore scenarios for the MVP, familiarize themselves with the domain, choose infrastructure, and hire new team members. The article also provides lessons learned, such as being aware of the consequences of rapid growth, having the right MVP, and being cautious.

Alleviating the Infamous QA Bottleneck

In order to alleviate the "QA bottleneck" in an organization that had doubled in size, the QA team identified the root causes of the problem and mapped out solutions. Through developing written guidelines, the QA team enabled product teams to perform their own test plan reviews, reducing wait times and increasing velocity. This also encouraged a better dialogue about quality within product teams and helped to break down silos. The leader of the QA team also practiced managing through their managers, leading to successful results.

Establishing a New Function

Niche's QA team was struggling to keep up with their increased automation needs, so the QA team leader proposed a new departmental structure with a separate function for automation. This new role, the Software Engineer in Test, would be dedicated to automation, allowing the QA Analysts to focus on manual testing. After a year of refining the role, the team was able to hire additional Software Engineers in Test and begin revitalizing their automation efforts. The lessons learned from this experience included the value of specialization, the importance of face-to-face communication while vetting candidates, and the importance of trusting in the expertise of team members.

Helping Your Reports Become Managers

At Niche, the author had the privilege of growing a department from two people to over a dozen. To enable further growth, the author needed to foster and develop a new layer of management within the team. To do this, the author set a six-month plan for the most senior member of the QA team to become a manager. Through a SWOT analysis, reading curriculum, and mentorship sessions, the author was able to equip the emerging manager with the skills and confidence to become a successful manager. The author learned that having a longer preparation time was helpful in changing the emerging manager's perception within their team and that nurturing talent internally is a sound business decision.

Relationship-Based Development

This article discusses the importance of building relationships in order to help team members grow and develop. It emphasizes the need to assess where team members are at, understand their areas of interest, and come up with actionable items to help them improve. It also highlights the importance of trust and the need to nurture individual authenticity. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of embracing new challenges and learning new things in order to achieve success.

Product Transformation: Why Prioritization Is Critical

This article discusses the challenges of transforming an existing product to meet changing user needs. It outlines the importance of understanding the reasons for the transformation and breaking down the necessary actions into manageable pieces. It also emphasizes the importance of prioritization and remaining calm during the process. Finally, it stresses the need to take the time to understand the problem before jumping into implementation.

Balancing Good Enough and Perfect

Product managers must find a balance between getting a product out the door quickly and ensuring its quality and adoption. This balance will depend on the product's context and market segment. It is important to understand user needs and differentiate between users and buyers. Quality should never be compromised, but tradeoffs can be made in execution. Product managers should also be mindful of overprescribing requirements to engineering, as this can stifle innovation. Ultimately, balance is a journey and each product will require a different approach.

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Product Teams

This article discusses the challenge of dealing with ambiguities in software development and how to bridge the gap between product teams and engineering teams. It outlines the steps taken to set up fundamental agile principles, conduct workshops, and introduce lightweight, agile practices. It also highlights the importance of understanding the “why” behind a need and building trust in order to foster collaboration and innovation.

Scaling Agile in Large Dependent Teams Setups

Agile teams need short backlogs of small items to be implemented in an iteration boundary. Scaled agile has become more popular, but it can be difficult to manage when teams are interdependent and over 100 people are involved. To manage this, data needs to be visible and JIRA dashboards can be used to track progress. Additionally, project management principles, such as creating a Gannt plan and identifying critical paths, can be used to solve dependencies. Finally, research and best practices should be used to ensure success.

Managing People More Experienced Than You

Leaders must be aware of the different personalities of their team members in order to effectively lead them. The DISC Assessment can be used to understand the strengths and personality traits of team members. Goals should be set according to the personality of the team member, with more flexibility for senior members. Leaders should also be aware of the motivations of their team members before assigning tasks.

Building trust in remote working

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work, which has posed many challenges. To address these issues, the author implemented strategies such as setting strategic goals, taking constant feedback, and creating fun activities to keep team members motivated. Additionally, they focused on connecting with team members on a personal level to ensure that no one felt isolated. These strategies have helped the author to better manage their remote team and have taught them the importance of flexibility and trust.

How to Convince the CEO

A furniture rental startup was having trouble getting customers to pay their invoices on time, which was impacting their cash flow. To address this, the team proposed introducing a late fee, but the CEO was against it. To convince him, they implemented a pilot program with a warning message and a one-time waiver for customers with a longer debt. After the pilot, many customers started paying on time, and the CEO was satisfied with the results. The team learned that hard-held feelings should not deter them, to be objective in their presentations, and to deliver concise information in a short amount of time.

Teams Facing Common Machine Learning Problems

This article discusses the problem of a machine learning project team that was taking longer than expected to become live and the actions taken to solve it. The author identified all the teams using machine learning, had group discussions to understand their problems, and pitched the idea of combining resources to solve the problem in one quarter instead of three. The team created a feature store to help the data science team read and write quickly, and the time taken to become live was reduced from 8 weeks to 1 week. The article also highlights the lessons learned from this experience, such as taking time to discover the problem, involving other teams, and combining resources.

Integrating Machine Learning with Human Knowledge

When faced with the challenge of scaling up operations, the author was able to successfully utilize machine learning to increase output and revenue by 5 times without any new hires. Through research, experimentation, and collaboration with data science and operations teams, the author was able to prove the value of machine learning and create a synergistic approach with both humans and machines. The author also learned the importance of data and proven results, as well as the value of asking for help from seniors.

Actions That Help Leaders Grow

The manager experimented with different approaches to cultivate an open conversation culture, such as formal chats, walks around the block, and breakfast meetings. Ultimately, they found that taking their team out for lunch was the best way to get candid opinions and have free-flowing conversations. The manager also learned to not force growth down people's throats, as not everyone desires to become a Staff Software Engineer within 3 years of joining a company.

How to Improve Remote Work Environment

After arriving on a team with deteriorating morale and an overwhelmed project management system, the director took action by gathering data, limiting work in progress, and tracking unplanned work. Through a team exercise, they learned the value of limiting work in progress and were able to reduce their release cycle from 6 months to 4 weeks. The director also learned the importance of understanding the team and how to make them work together.