Project Management on JAVAPRO International

When Product Owners Commit Code: Small Steps, Big Impact

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:01:52 +0000

Disclaimer: No Product Owners were harmed in the making of this story.
Spoiler: They survived. In fact… they thrived.

We never planned to tell this story.. and certainly not six years later. Back when it happened, it didn’t feel revolutionary. It felt… practical. A small fix to a small annoyance. The sort of thing teams do every day just to make life a bit easier.

But today, in a world where AI blurs boundaries and workflows become more fluid, the lesson behind this tiny experiment has become surprisingly relevant again. Because even before the age of “AI copilots”, our Product Owners had to leap across a much wider gap and yet what unfolded wasn’t about tools at all. It was about mindset. About curiosity. About empathy. And about what happens when teams stretch just a little bit beyond the edges of their roles.

RTFM – Usable Documentation

Tue, 05 May 2026 07:00:01 +0000

Newcomers are often fobbed off with the phrase: “It’s all in the wiki.” But anyone with a bit of professional experience knows that a glance at the existing documentation can quickly lead to disappointment. In this article, I’ll show you ways to do it better.

Conferences. How and Why

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:00:01 +0000

Ever thought of attending a conference, but decided it would be too much effort and overwhelming with so much great content already available online to give it a try? It is even more difficult to decide on attending if you have had a negative experience in the past.

My first attempt many years ago wasn’t bad. A full day of going from one talk to another. Plus, feeling sleepy due to an early start. However, after attending the conference I didn’t feel I’d want to do it again. Something was missing. There is no guarantee that your visit will be successful as there are too many aspects to take in account, but there are things you can do to increase the chances. I’ll share with you my approach on how to do that.

Grow Beyond Senior: use your Java Expertise to Gain Autonomy and Impact the World

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 07:00:02 +0000

Where Are You in Your Career?

Before we get into the paths beyond senior developer, let’s take a moment to reflect. Think about where you are:

Are you still studying, and not a professional yet?
Are you a junior developer? Mid-level?
Are you a senior developer?

A common goal for juniors and mid-level professionals is to achieve the much desired senior level position.

You can see the path to get there. There are professionals you work with in your team that are seniors. Seniors seem to do similar things than you, at a higher capacity. You learn from them, they pick up the more complex issues, they guide you on the solutions you don’t know. You look up for them. More… You expect to be there some day.

Agile Nightmares - When Agile Methods Become an Innovation Barrier

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:03:10 +0000

The Scary Figures of Agility

In the dynamic world of software development and beyond, agility has established itself as a
defining approach.

However, behind the promise of flexibility, customer orientation, and continuous improvement, pitfalls sometimes lurk. Calls are increasing to declare agility as ineffective or even ‘dead’. The real reasons for this growing scepticism, however, rarely lie in the agile principles themselves, but rather in their creeping or even deliberate misinterpretation and application.

Where to Use AI FOR Development: A Practical Guide for Engineers and Managers

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:00:01 +0000

There’s a lot of noise out there about AI generating code for you, creating tests, filing bugs, and possibly even conducting your sprint planning meetings. It’s easy to get swept up in the hype. You’ve probably seen claims like “AI can build your app from a prompt” or “Ship twice as fast with half the team”. Sounds appealing doesn’t it? The reality, as always, is more nuanced.

In this article, I want to puncture some of the more inflated expectations and instead offer a grounded view of where AI can help in software development today. What works, what doesn’t, and what might be worth trying if you squint hard enough. The lens I want to use is risk. Because fundamentally, that’s what software development is: a careful game of managing risk against code.

The Michael Jordan Approach to Software Engineering

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 07:00:01 +0000

When we think of greatness in the world of sports, one name that immediately pops in my mind is Michael Jordan. Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan’s approach to his craft is legendary. While the world of software engineering might seem miles apart from the basketball court, there are valuable lessons we as software engineers can learn from the Michael Jordan approach and apply them to our work as software engineers.

Journey to junior

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:00:01 +0000

Alternative paths into software development

There’s a real shortage of the right kind of talent out there, and innovative new approaches can be a great way to tackle this problem. Over the past 10 years at Haeger Consulting, we’ve poured time and resources into building a trainee program aimed at bringing lateral entrants, career changers, and newcomers into Java software development – and we’ve seen some amazing success stories along the way. “So, how exactly do you do it?” is one of the many questions we get asked.

From Breaches to Blackouts: The Human Consequences of Software Supply Chain Attacks

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:00:01 +0000

Have you ever considered the impact of Cybercrime? How do your choices in terms of applying good security practices matter? Given that the current estimate for the annual bill worldwide is 9 Trillion US Dollars, there is obviously a significant financial reward for the bad guys, but have you ever wondered how that breaks down or if there’s more to their motivations and actions than just money?

This article will explore the financial element and broader human implications.

Agile, Scrum, Kanban and the Lies We Tell Ourselves About Creating Value

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:00:01 +0000

But often, the excitement dies down. Companies feel like Agile isn’t living up to its promises. Teams feel trapped in rituals like standups, retrospectives, and Kanban boards, with little real improvement. Meanwhile, organizations often keep using the same leadership styles, the same lack of psychological safety, and the same outdated metrics. People do the actions of sprints or continuous flow, but see only a little benefit from the big changes.

Beyond Code: Skills for Your Next Career Step

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:00:01 +0000

As developers, we’re accustomed to learning new frameworks and programming languages—we’re self-taught experts who leverage tutorials and online resources to expand our technical capabilities. But what happens when you reach that career plateau where coding skills alone aren’t enough to advance? After eight years as a developer, I found myself at this exact crossroads, with no clear path forward in my company. There were no defined roles like Staff Engineer, no clear expectations, and little support for continued growth beyond senior developer positions.

The Framework Illusion: Let’s Fix Your Value Delivery

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:00:01 +0000

We all love our Frameworks. From Agile to DevOps to SAFe, organizations are constantly looking for the “one single solution” that will solve their challenges once and for all. While the impulses behind this search are understandable—who doesn’t want a proven, repeatable solution to complex problems?—the reality is that frameworks, by themselves, do not inherently deliver results.

Instead, frameworks merely provide a structure that can help teams and organizations do their actual work more effectively. They can outline rituals, suggest pathways, and offer conceptual scaffolding, they do literally just “frame work”. But ultimately, they are only as impactful as the market-facing results provided with them.

Should we stop discussing about technical debt... with top management?

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:00:01 +0000

Cyclomatic complexity, coupling and cohesion, orthogonality, big O… are concepts that technical teams use when analyzing complex software systems and can establish why it is difficult to change them. Technical language refers to the technical aspects of those systems. But when we have to explain to non-technical people in the organization why an application has bugs, why a feature is not on time, or why we need a database expert to make a simple change to a service, we cannot use those concepts. To do that, we have to speak in a language that those non-technical people understand the intrinsic nature that exists in systems developed with software.

Java in Critical Operations: How Custom Development Ensures Control and Secures Mission-Critical Systems

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 08:15:19 +0000

When IT fails, no one notices—until everyone does.
Whether in hospitals, energy grids, or airports, stable operation of digital systems in safety-critical environments is not an option, but a strict requirement. This is where infrastructure must prove its resilience, scalability, and independence in the face of real-world crises.

A prime example is Fraport AG, operator of one of Europe’s largest aviation hubs. When baggage goes missing or safety-critical information is delayed, it’s not just individual passengers’ vacations that are at risk—the operational stability of the entire airport is on the line. Behind the scenes of such a hub runs an extremely complex digital infrastructure that must operate reliably 24/7, despite increasing demands, ageing legacy systems, and tightening security regulations.

The quick check for your software - the Software Coma Scale (SCS)

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 11:22:49 +0000

Do you know this situation: You have are sitting on your desk when your boss asks you to “just have a look at an old software-system” at its current status? Since he doesn’t know much about your job (IT), you have to use a system that

a) he understands and

b) allows you to make an informed assessment relatively quickly.

Or a customer asks whether you could change this or that thing in a system you don’t know - or even take over the maintenance for it. And just like your boss, he is not an IT specialist!

1BRC with AI - curious and curiouser said the LLM

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:48:56 +0000

Did you try turning it off and on first?

(I promise this is the last 1BRC-related post). Read on to discover how large language models (LLMs) performed in generating Java code, their strengths in context-aware development, and challenges such as hallucinations and nuanced errors. Learn what makes a good AI dev tool and what makes a great IDE integration.

A definition of insanity is repeating an action and expecting a different outcome. As developers, we’re used to doing that :-) It’s part of our operating manual.

Engineering Metrics: Measuring What Matters

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:11:24 +0000

In an age of data-driven engineering, metrics can serve as a powerful compass—if chosen wisely. This article takes a closer look at popular frameworks like DORA, SPACE, DevEx, and DX Core4, dissecting their strengths and limitations.

My Top 10 Principles for getting the best from AI (for developers)

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:56:54 +0000

AI tools for developers: principles, insights, and the importance of clean code.

Every day, I encounter a new AI tool, whether a new capability is added to an existing tool or an entirely new offering. I actively use several AI tools, including ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Amazon Q Developer, each serving different purposes. I pay for pro access to ChatGPT and Grammarly, though I sometimes consider switching to Claude.ai, which occasionally proves invaluable. s a view of AI tools for developers: my principles, insights and ultimately the realisation that development practises such as clean code is more essential than ever

UnConferences - the antidote to conferences?

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 11:35:30 +0000

unConferences: Experience community-driven learning and networking - where attendees set the agenda and drive the conversation.

In a few days, I’ll be kicking off the second London Java Community Conference this year. We (the LJC) usually run an unConference once a year. Traditionally the last Saturday in November., but since the end of the Covid lockdown, it’s been a Monday near that date. I’ll explain why that’s important later

In this post, I want to explain why we are running an unConference and have two this year. I aim to inspire you to follow suit and run your version—wherever you are and whatever you do. It might just change your life.

Developer Relations as Terraforming: Cultivating Ecosystems for Success

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:55:28 +0000

As a “DevRel” person, I’m disappointed in how often our efforts are misunderstood and marginalised. In this article, I want to take another slant on the what and why of “DevRel.”

Developer Relations (DevRel) holds the same transformative potential as terraforming in science fiction. It’s cheesy, but it’s pretty accurate. Much like engineers striving to turn a hostile, barren planet into one that can sustain life, DevRel teams are tasked with creating an atmosphere where developers can thrive. Success in both cases isn’t immediate; it requires patience, deliberate planning, and constant care to cultivate a living ecosystem.

the Wild Frontier of Technology adoption

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 09:55:32 +0000

Being out of work and looking for new opportunities means interviews. A common thread that comes up is arm waving. “There are 25 million developers out there, we want you to make them use our product/api/service”. Coupled with this idea is the expectation that if only they could get the offering in front of a developer if only that developer would try it, then all would be well and money would pour in.

Navigating Change at Work

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:22:38 +0000

When we reference change at work we typically hear statements like, “Change is a constant” or “Change is the new norm”. The last few years have taught us just how true this is. COVID forced us to quickly change where and how we work. The rapid evolution of AI is changing our global perspective on what is possible and what might be at risk. Organizations, teams, and individuals everywhere are navigating not only these changes but many others like high employee turnover, mergers and acquisitions, new market demands, technological evolutions, and more.
For most people, change is hard. To understand how organizations can help their teams and people adapt, we must start with an understanding of why change is hard for people.
We can understand this first through the lens of our physiology. Change, or the prospect of change, is often perceived by the ego as a threat to its need for certainty, security, and relevance. Anything that the ego perceives as a threat (real or not) elicits a stress response. This is not what the stress response was designed for. The stress response is meant for true emergency situations that might put our survival at risk. While most of the change happening at work is not a threat to our survival, our stress response doesn’t know the difference between a true life-or-death emergency or an upgrade in technology that leaves us frustrated and wondering if we can keep up.
When we experience a stress response, our natural inclination is to isolate, retreat, and protect ourselves. When we’re in this state: