#66 OOPS writeups
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this week's favorite
A couple of people have asked me to share how I structure my OOPS write-ups. Here’s what they look like when I write them. This structure in this post is based on the OOPS template that has evolved over time inside of Netflix, with contributions from current and former members of the CORE team.
I was changing a lightbulb this morning and was struck by a shift that has occurred in recent years. Lightbulbs used to be sold according to their power consumption. People were entrained to buy bulbs according to power rating — what the bulb consumed from the electrical grid — rather than brightness — what they, as consumers, actually benefited from.
Scaling the practice of architecture, conversationally
Architecture need not be a monologue; delivered top-down from the minds and mouths of a centralised few. This article describes another way to do architecture; as a series of conversations, driven by a decentralised and empowering decision-making technique, and supported by four learning and alignment mechanisms: Decision Records, Advisory Forum, Team-sourced Principles, and a Technology Radar.
Software development pushes us to get better as people
Have you ever been on a really good software team? There’s this feeling of connectedness, of shared purpose. We know what we’re building, and we are skilled at building it together. This kind of team can grow some amazing software.
You are using the ‘5 whys’ wrong
The practice of “5 Whys” was pioneered by Toyota, and is practiced by designers worldwide. It is a research technique meant to get to the bottom of things. Many write about it, but neither Forbes, nor IDEO, nor the Interaction Design Foundations tells you about 2 dangerous flaws baked into the technique.
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