Unlocking Engineering Excellence_ A Back-to-Basics Approach - DevOpsBCN - Jan 2025
- 1. Unlocking Engineering Excellence: A Back-to-Basics Approach DevOps BCN Meetup David Castañeda Platform Whisperer & DevOoops Engineer
- 2. What if I told you that unlocking engineering excellence is everyone's responsibility?
- 3. About me… ● Infrastructure Engineer - Not a DevOps Engineer ● Working on IT for 13 years ● I like tech, legos & beer ● Love building stuff the right way ● Embracing the title of Platform Whisperer & DevOoops Engineer ● Doing my best at organizing DevOps BCN meetups and trying to keep up with tech on my newsletter ● Not a manager
- 4. What > How? > Who? Agenda
- 5. There is no excellence without culture
- 7. Fostering Technical Excellence Do more than "good code" Technical excellence isn't just about writing code that works. It's about crafting elegant, maintainable solutions that are robust, scalable and perform. Use linters, code formatters, and static analysis tools to automatically Feedback matters. Everyone should have a voice encourage code reviews, even past MR requests, provide feedback. and lets not forget customer or users feedback Implement Changes and Repeat With all the possible changes or improvements you now can repeat the cycle Reflect, measure, analyze and refine Do retrospectives, measure timings, estimations, performance. Involve all team members in the technical analysis and refine the solution or implementation.
- 8. Collaboration and Communication More than just “talking”: Collaboration and communication is about sharing knowledge, working together to solve a problem and building a shared understanding of the challenge ahead. Find and start with your “why” When starting a new project or tool, it’s important to keep a eye on the final goal. I do this task or create that feature so the end user or customer can have X or Y impact on the business Communication can be tricky BUT It gets easier when you pay attention to how others communicate. Listen actively, be understanding, and tweak your message to fit the person you're talking to. Cultivate trust Build a supportive atmosphere where the team and the individual feel safe to contribute ideas, successes are celebrated, and conflicts are addressed proactively with a focus on solutions
- 9. Customer/Product Focus Understanding what’s behind the “Meeting requirements” It’s not about which are the specs, it’s about deeply understanding our users’ needs, anticipating their challenges and creating solutions that will make their lives easier. Keep a constant feedback loop Try to actively seek and incorporate feedback throughout the development process. Listen, understand and empathize with your user. Keep a healthy relationship with your customer/product Interact and spent time with more people than just your team. Promote team building activities
- 10. Innovation and Experimentation Beyond just “trying new things” Innovation and experimentation in engineering isn't just about playing with the latest framework or adopting a trendy new tool. It's about a mindset – a constant curiosity to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and find better or just different ways to solve problems. Aim “to the infinite and beyond” and own the path When engineers are encouraged to experiment and innovate, they tend to feel more connected to their project, which evolves into a sense of ownership and pride. It’s okay to have setbacks When we try new things, we inevitably encounter challenges and issues, but we also gain valuable knowledge and experience, which will be helpful in future setbacks.
- 11. Ownership and Accountability Exceeding the idea of “doing your job” Ownership and accountability mean taking initiative, being proactive and feeling responsible of the success of the project and the team. More than a code monkey It's about seeing yourself not just as a code monkey, but as a contributor who can make a difference. It's about asking yourself: “How can I make this project better?” Accountability over micromanagement A culture of ownership and accountability reduces the need for constant supervision and micromanagement. When engineers take ownership of their work, managers can trust them to get things done without needing constant supervision.
- 13. How to make it happen…
- 14. Continuous learning and knowledge sharing 🐢 Reactive: ● Document your work and share the knowledge ● Do code reviews ● Develop problem-solving skills and adaptability 🚀 Proactive: ● Dedicate time for research and development ● Give presentations and workshops ● Volunteer to work into the unknown
- 15. Skill Mastery, more than just knowledge… ● Know your core concepts inside out ● Explore in-demand skills ● Identify real-world usage of new tech or framework ● Learn from fellow tech enthusiasts ● Solidify your knowledge by teaching
- 16. Mentorship as a two-way street ● Everyone has something to teach and something to learn ● Beyond just “giving advice”, build a collaborative relationship focused on guiding and supporting each other ● Tackle challenges together ● Identify each other's knowledge gaps
- 17. Embrace Responsibility and Proactivity ● “See something, say something”: Don't wait for problems to escalate ● “Be the solution”: Don't just identify problems ● “Own your mistakes”: Everyone makes mistakes… ? ● “Go the extra mile”: Don't just do the bare minimum ● “Be a mentor”: Share your knowledge and experience with others
- 18. Empathy and active listening ● Understand other’s perspective and motivations ● Ask clarifying questions ● Summarize and paraphrase ● Pay attention to nonverbal cues and start from compassion ● Listen to understand, not to respond
- 20. Responsibilities breakdown Responsibilities Engineer Lead Company Technical Excellence ✅ ✅ ✅ Continuous Learning ✅ ✅ ✅ Customer/User Focus ✅ ✅ ✅ Empower Ownership ✅ ✅ ✅ Innovation and Experimentation ✅ ✅ ✅ Collaboration and Communication ✅ ✅ ✅
- 21. Questions?