Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Onboarding and plan for the first few months

identify and address any critical issues that may exist. These types of issues can be distracting so getting them out of the way quickly allows us to move the technology ahead in more purposeful way. There will always be bugs and minor issues that need to be dealt with but should not dominate the overall development strategy.
working through some of the most critical issues will give me a chance to learn the architecture and start building a strategy for moving forward. This could include things like evaluating whether we should break up the existing monolith or leveraging various services from AWS to build systems and processes that are smaller and easier to manage.
Get a complete understanding of the development processes being used and the technology in the existing systems paying particular close attention to security and efficiency issues
Look for easy wins - ways to simplify complex algorithms/systems, migration of components to simpler or more cost-effective solutions/services, replace in-house code with open source or maybe even commercially available products if possible
As we build these new systems, we can also introduce DevOps process to manage these new components include the code review process, how new code and bug fixes are moved into production, introducing observability and logging systems.
Data protection. Make sure that data is both secure and backed up.
As we get into a more regular work flow, we can start exploring our agile workflow and other development processes. My preference is to use the minimum amount of process to get the work done. Similar to the actual systems we are building, processes do need to be reviewed frequently in order to make sure they are still efficient and effective.

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Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Team Development

Younger teams often benefit from just need having experience mentors to bounce ideas off and validate their ideas and concepts before investing significant development resources. I focus on fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel comfortable asking any questions, no matter how basic they may seem. My goal is to empower the engineering, instilling the confidence needed to break down complex problems into manageable components.

mentor the team on software engineering best practices
support professional development through team presentations, sharing on-line resources and books
assist with hiring processes/interviewing prospective employees

Product Design

My main goal here is to understand the product’s short, medium and long term goals of the product as these will directly influence the structure of the system architecture. Getting the architecture right from the start is crucial since it becomes increasingly challenging to refactor as the product evolves. System architecture involves numerous choices and trade-offs, so having a clear vision of future product requirements can greatly inform and simplify these decisions. To that end, understanding long-term goals is essential when designing and building robust systems.

establish product security and compliance requirements
define product data needs, including data volume, backup strategies, and more.
determine uptime requirements
identify product-market fit

System Architecture and Design

It’s essential to deep dive into the latest offerings from AWS and other vendors to determine how we can leverage these technologies to build the product effectively. I always emphasize that the product requirements should take precedence over technical requirements i.e., the technical requirements should not dictate how the product functions or how users interact with it.

evaluate existing architecture
Assess current AWS services and other vendor solutions
refactor existing architecture/systems as needed
design and build new architecture/systems with a focus on security profiles and cloud cost management
utilize AWS Infrastructure as Code tools (e.g., Cloudformation, AWS CDK, Terraform) to construct systems on AWS

Software Development and DevOps

I often combine these two areas as modern cloud-based software development demands that all engineers have a solid understanding of DevOps processes. The code being developed is frequently intertwined with cloud services, making this knowledge essential. I’m a hands-on leader, eager to write and review code alongside the team.