How To Defeat The 3 Most Common Arguments Against Technical Debt

I once worked on a project where we weren’t able to think about technical debt until five years in.

Like many startups, we had to hustle to get off the ground. In those initial years, we didn’t have much time or capacity to even think about addressing the debt we accumulated.

And did it ever accumulate.

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Agile Is Broken, So What Should Startups and Tech Companies Do Instead?

Look, no matter where you stand on Agile, Scrum, or Jira, no one can name-call their way around the fact that continuous delivery and continuous improvement have, more often than not, given way to over-management, over-documentation, and over-scrutinization of the software development process, turning development into a joyless slog where nothing new and innovative gets done, and certainly not quickly — even at, and especially at, tech startups.

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Are Story Points Helping Your Team?

Story Points have been around for a couple decades now. There are countless articles and videos demonstrating their usage. Many organizations mandate their usage and teaching them are part of the standard approach for consulting organizations.

For as long as I’ve known about Story Points (SP) and the associated velocity there continue to be far too many teams that have constant incomplete work Sprint after Sprint. Teams spend endless hours haggling over point estimation and still get it wrong so much of the time. There is elaborate theater in many teams at the end of the Sprint, renegotiating SP estimates for work that was harder than anticipated. Or splitting incomplete work and then attempting to determine where to place the Story Points.

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Scrum Masters Are Useless — Product Managers Should Run Their Own Scrum

We’ve all been there. It’s 10:00 AM. You’re in a standup, sipping your third coffee, while the Scrum Master dutifully asks each developer, “What did you do yesterday? What are you doing today? Any blockers?”

Someone mumbles something about JIRA tickets. Another person reports, “Same as yesterday.”

Meanwhile, the Product Manager (PM) is frantically jotting notes, trying to connect the dots between what was promised and what’s actually happening.

And the Scrum Master? They nod, write things down, and move on.

Here’s the controversial take: Do we really need a dedicated Scrum Master for this? Or should Product Managers just run their own scrums?

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The Time For You to Grow

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The Job Market Rebound is Going to Catch Everyone Off Guard

I’ve got good news about the job market.

And some bad news.

The good news is that this perennially iced-over and zombified market is finally, slowly starting to thaw. Both survey data and anecdotal evidence point to an uptick in hiring in the near future.

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Five Things You Should Know as a Leader Implementing AI

1. There is no playbook... Yet
2. Do NOT be afraid to experiment
3. AI technology advances quickly
4. AI will NOT solve everything
5. Be a responsible leader when implementing AI

BONUS - Find the right coach / trainer when implementing AI. Do not go at it alone. You will waste too much time learning outdated materials.

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3 Key Lessons From My First Product Role

My first product role shaped how I lead. I learned about true ownership, deep business impact, and competition that goes beyond features. Working with a visionary CEO in a product-led company taught me lessons that still guide me. PMs, are you embracing these to drive real impact?

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