Next blog post musing: Isolated and Decoupled is great for your tests, lousy for your humans. Are we testing for the right things?

I keep hearing that AI has made Agile irrelevant. Okay. I'll throw in the towel. Let's dump Agile altogether.

So, instead, here is by far the best AI-focused way of working that I know:

First,

- The way we treat people and work with them is more important than processes and tools

The Leverage Effect, or Why AI Is Eating Everything What happens when the richest companies in human history all push in the same direction, at the same time, across almost every industry? We're finding out right now. And if you look at it through a systems thinking lens, what you see is not just a trend. It's a cascade of leverage effects reinforcing each other. Let me explain what I mean.

What do railways and AI have in common? Massive capital, big narratives, broad application. The pattern repeats. Systems thinking explains why the hype always overshoots, and why the brakes never work in time.

And @gdayitsjack.bsky.social kicking off the night #sydtechleaders

Last meetup if the year - @sydtechleaders.bsky.social lightening talks tonight ⚡️Thanks atlassian for hosting along with food and drinks 🥂

For example, should I use objects or dictionaries? Should I use mocks or allow full integration? And, importantly, should I refactor now or put it on a to-do list?

I have renewed admiration for programmers. The amount of complexity involved in getting this app together. Even if I kept my spec unaltered there’s so much to think about in terms of implementation that I have to constantly reassess.

Also I’m using a lot of tokens. I hope as I become more proficient and confident this will reduce. Now though, it’s play time, worry about that later.

In my enthusiasm for using AI to implement my code, I’m discovering that it’s really important to timebox work because after a while, both I and the AI agent seem to get tired and just accept the status quo.

It’s critical to remain engaged in the process.

My advice to any technical non programmers out there is to focus on building stuff. If these tools continue to improve (and I’m sure they will) it might be time to review how your perceive yourself and your role.

It’s hard to describe the impact this is having on me. Rather than being hung up about ‘not being able to code’ I can focus on my core strengths and use those to create products.

It’s been an extraordinary experience and has changed how I think about AI.

For me, it’s a leveller. My deep technical skills and understanding of what good looks like allow me to guide copilot through implementation using techniques such as spec driven development and TDD.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring how to build an app using TDD and GitHub Copilot.

Who am I? I’m an electronic engineer, with deep technical on building modern engineering products. I read code pretty well. I am not a programmer.

It’s not always easy for people to ascertain how they feel (if they have trauma, if they are neurodivergent, etc). It’s important to keep in mind when having conversations about stress and mental health. #sydtechleaders

A woman speaking at a lectern at a tech meetup

Reminder that we are still looking for Lightning talk speakers for our Nov. 6 meetup. Great for first timers, and we’ll even give you some mentoring if you like! #sydtechleaders

An African woman speaking in front of a lectern with a slide that says: Leading with Kindness: Creating Space for Meaningful mental health Conversations

Our first speaker is Saliya Kutungu-Moran talking about leading with kindness and creating space for mental health conversations. She’s an RUOK ambassador with lots of experience in tech, and we’re so glad she’s here. #sydtechleaders

Tonight’s talks are obviously going to be a bit more personal than usual, so social media posting will be restricted to high level topics. ❤️ #sydtechleaders

When using augmentation coding tools:

Begin in a TDD/ATDD fashion and write your tests first.

START with business value tests & work downwards

Challenge any changes to a test.

Keep encouraging test coverage reviews

Refactor your tests!

Tests are a safety net and will keep any tools on track

YOW! Diversity Scholarships - YOW! Melbourne 2025

Just spotted in the @yowconf.bsky.social newsletter that this year Diversity Scholarships are available, thanks to @lizthegrey.com and the fine folks at @honeycomb.io! 👏 ❤️ You can apply here: yowcon.com/melbourne-20... (cc @damianm.com )

“Hope is not a strategy” @dbafromthecold.com (in the context of delivering tech) @shipitcon.bsky.social

Such a lovely meetup! Highly encourage people to attend the next one anarchy…virtualddd.com/sessions/everything-you-...

By the way, we hit a milestone at #sydtechleaders tonight - an actual queue at the women’s restroom! It’s exciting to see such a diverse group in the room, and it’s a credit to the organising team! 🏆💪🚽

Three people seated and one standing at a tech event

A very excited man holding a cubic foam microphone with an Atlassian logo on it

It’s time for the world famous #sydtechleaders Q&A panel! Sugendran is very excited about throwing the Atlassian microphone cube at people…

A slide that says: Bring the work to where the people are Reduce context switching Avoid when possible jumping between too many tools

A slide that says: Simplify to reduce cognitive load • Reduce and simplify • Remove optional items or mark them clearly

A slide that says; Apply friction where required • You can apply an anti-nudge • In some cases, friction is useful

A couple suggestions from Ben: bring the work to where the people are; simplify to reduce cognitive load (don’t bury the lede!); consider adding some friction to slow things down, manage the timing of your nudges and prompts, and AUTOMATE! #sydtechleaders

It’s very tempting to think of leadership as taking ACTION, as always having the right answer. But that can put a lot of pressure on you… #sydtechleaders

A slide that says: The Work of Staying Silent Not correcting someone in public Not attending the meeting Not giving your opinion Not inserting yourself into situations

A slide that says: Restraint is Active, not Passive An effective leader knows the difference between restraint and avoidance. Choosing where to exert control or influence is key for your effectiveness as a leader.

It’s a hard lesson, but sometimes the best thing a leader can do is stay silent. Just be careful restraint doesn’t become avoidance. #sydtechleaders

And Dave Bolton is back!! #SydTechLeaders

Ooh - I like this one too #sydtechleaders Ben Meneses Sosa

This is such a good principle- bring the work to where the people are Ben Mendosa Sosa