Hello!

It is that time of the month for the Geshan's blog newsletter.

In this issue (the 4th one) we will learn quickly about when to build the right thing and when to build the thing right. And the usual round of links, let's get going.

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Build the right thing and build it right too

This is a burning question as always how to build the right thing (software) and how to build the thing right (proper process and quality). Mostly both things would be needed but making optimal tradeoffs are important is software engineering.

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Let's cut the chase and talk about possible trade-offs between building the right thing and building the software right.

Building the right thing

When starting a new project without clear specification or revamping an exiting process in a new way the focus should be on building the right thing. In this case, getting valuable feedback from customers (or who use the software) must be done in an iterative way. At this point, building the thing right can or may be relaxed a bit. To build the right thing smaller pull requests will really help.

Building the thing right

Building the software right, in a better way is indispensable when working older systems that are especially in the critical path. With this case the focus on automated testing, manual testing, better deployment process should be given higher priority. Any mistake in an existing software on the critical path can be very costly.

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Finally, the decision is not easy to make but when building software we need to make the right trade-offs to maximize the overall profits in an optimal way.

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Blast from the past

Geshan's blog has been online for 15 years now. This is a post from 2015 about 4 Pillars of great software application that holds true now and in the near future too.

​4 pillars of a solid software application and tools to support it​

I hope you like it!

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5 links of the month

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Here are some links that you would like:

• ​Using Redis with docker and docker-compose for local development a step-by-step tutorial - Tutorial on how to use Redis with Docker and docker-compose.
• ​Intercom on Product: Speeding back up when momentum drops - A great intercom podcast on why speed of delivery is so important in start ups and how to keep up momentum.
• ​Becoming a Better Writer in Tech by Pragmatic Engineer - A great post by Gregely (must follow him) on the importance of writing and influence as a software engineer.
• ​Hunting Tech Debt via Org Charts - An amazing piece about tech debt in orgs with all things in moderation.
• ​Cost of Employee Attrition - An interesting and visual explanation of the cost of employee attrition with some helpful tips.

Thats it for this edition, see you in the next one. Keep visiting Geshan.com.np.