Thu Dec 1
Earlier this month, we hosted Global Day of Coderetreat (GDCR) at our Toronto office. After a three-year hiatus, we wanted to re-awaken some of the community enthusiasm when we hosted the event for the first time back in 2019. This year we planned for a larger event which turned out to be a really good thing as we nearly doubled our attendance. And in case you were wodering, this is how we did it.
Wed Nov 9
Process biases occur when you process information based on cognitive factors instead of concrete evidence, skewing your perception of reality, even if all the pertinent and necessary data is right in front of you. And in our third installment of You’re Wrong & Don’t Know It, discover some of the different types of process biases, their impact, and most importantly, how they can be avoided.
Wed Nov 2
On the one hand, labels can hold us back. They come with expectations on what we can and can’t do, or what we know and don’t know. Those expectations can be self-inflicted or put on us by others. This is especially true of job titles. This is why at a Coderetreat, we say that we leave our job titles at the door. For similar reasons, we delete our code at the end of a Coderetreat pairing session. Pre-existing notions, assumptions, or expectations oftentimes hold us back from learning — consequently, we discard them when possible.
Thu Oct 13
Product strategy should take all parties into consideration. It should account for the organization making the product, the environment it operates in, and the entities with whom they interact. It should assess and clearly communicate dynamic strategic threats while allowing for easy comparisons to determine differentiation. Last but not least, your product strategy should always put your customer first. Here's a how-to on plotting out the many actors, entities, and relationships involved in your forthcoming product to ensure your strategy leaves nothing to chance.
Wed Oct 12
In this final edition of the Product Delivery Team Anti-patterns series, Paul Sobocinski, Director of Engineering covers the async fixation anti-pattern and how it straddles a fine line with async collaboration.
Thu Sep 22
How do you accurately measure the success of a product launch? What information do you use to pivot your product strategy? How do you keep teams aligned on the mission? The answer to all three is product metrics. That is, of course, if you’re doing it right. Metrics are a critical element of product success, and our own @Robin shares how you and your team can ladder your goals, define your metrics, and avoid some common pitfalls along the way.
Tue Sep 20
Job descriptions are becoming looser around education and experience. Beyond showing a list of degrees and certificates, businesses are considering personal project portfolios as proof that they have the required skills for a job. With the rise of alternative educational options - bootcamps, certificate programs, and professionals on YouTube - there are cheaper and more effective ways to learn practical and up-to-date information. Considering these signals, can we still justify the value and cost of traditional higher education? Is it time to reconsider higher education with a product lens?