Doing "No" Better

#120 – December 19, 2022

How do we learn to say “no” gracefully? Below are a few guidelines as well as some specifics for delivering the graceful “no.”

Bring your own database, and let Directus do the rest(sponsor)

Directus is an open-source platform (with 18k GitHub stars, 20M downloads) that sits on top of your SQL database, and dynamically generates REST and GraphQL APIs, providing you with a secure and intuitive no-code app. The new cloud platform offers a global CDN, end-to-end project provisioning, granular access control, and lots more. Self-hosted or in the Cloud, Directus is perfect for any developer and every project.

Incident categories I’d like to see

If you’re categorizing your incidents by cause, here are some options for causes that I’d love to see used. These are all taken directly from the field of cognitive systems engineering research.

A debugging manifesto

We ended up writing a short debugging manifesto to start the zine with, and I’m pretty happy with how it came out. Here it is as an image, and as text (with some extra explanations).

Should we measure the performance of an engineering team?

Absurd tracking metrics have long been a running gag in IT. And above all, they had very diverse objectives that are sometimes very harmful to the quality of projects, collaboration or the management of individuals.

Removing uncertainty: The tip of the iceberg

We build mountains underwater so that others can see the tip of the iceberg. To keep momentum, we must continually reduce uncertainty.

Use signNow's eSignature API to implement custom document flows that require legally binding signatures(sponsor)

Enhance user experience on your website or mobile app with signNow’s powerful eSignature API. Easily send documents for signature, request payments, create reusable templates with fillable fields, and track the status of documents in real-time with signNow. Create your sandbox account today and test signNow API for free!

About the engineering manager role

Let's look around and define what is to be engineering manager, so even your grandparents could understand it.

Highly aligned, loosely coupled: How Shopify uses writing to get its 7,000+ employees on the same page

At Shopify, writing has helped the company grow, succeed, and plan for the future.

And that's the last newsletter for 2022. I'll see you on the second Monday of 2023 with at least 5 additional kilos, a handful of unrealistic New Year's resolutions, and a fresh new content.

Merry Christmas! 🎅🏻🎄

Doing "No" Better

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