An Elegant puzzle – Systems of engineering Management

Author: Will Larson

Will Larson’s ‘An Elegant puzzle’ offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the multifaceted role of managing engineers, whether overseeing a small team or scaling up to manage managers. Drawing from his extensive experience at technology giants like Yahoo!, Uber, and Stripe, Larson provides invaluable tools and systems to empower teams to perform optimally.

The book is skillfully written, peppered with insightful anecdotes from Larson’s own journey in engineering leadership. His candid recounting of real-world scenarios adds depth and relatability, making the concepts tangible and actionable.

A standout feature of the book is Larson’s emphasis on the importance of incremental progress over the pursuit of elusive solutions. As he aptly puts it,

Managing rapid growth is more along the lines of stacking small wins than identifying silver bullets.
– Will Larson

This philosophy underscores the practical wisdom woven throughout the text, offering managers a pragmatic approach to tackling challenges.

Moreover, Larson goes the extra mile by concluding the book with a meticulously curated list of recommended readings, allowing readers to delve deeper into specific topics of interest. While primarily aimed at managers, even those overseeing smaller teams, like myself, will find immense value in Larson’s insights. Personally, I found myself benefiting greatly from his advice, and I anticipate revisiting this book as my team continues to expand.

In essence, ‘Insights into Engineering Management’ is a must-read for anyone navigating the complexities of leading engineering teams in today’s fast-paced tech landscape.

Do you have an entrepreneur within you and want to bring it to life? Creating a business plan and building an MVP (Minimal Viable Product) is the place to start. In this post, I will share my approach to testing out a new business idea and some of the pitfalls that you should avoid.

What is an MVP?

Let us first get into what an MVP is and why we should start by building an MVP and not just the whole product.
MVP stands for Minimal Viable Product, which means a product with enough features to attract your first customers and thereby validate your idea.
In some cases, this means just a clickable prototype, the main thing is that it is just enough to get validation from customers so that you know if it is worth spending more time and money on.

MVP requirements

Before building your MVP, it’s time to look at your MVP requirements.

1. What problem do you want to solve?
2. Who is your target audience?
3. How can you reach them?
4. What features do you need to solve their problem?
5. What is the most important feature?
6. How can I test that I’m solving their problem?

Try to note down the answers to these questions and be critical of the features – are they necessary for you to get validation?

How to Build an MVP?

Now that you have your MVP requirements we can take a look at the different options you have for building an MVP for your startup. Depending on the technology depth of your MVP you have different options.

1. A clickable MVP without any functionality behind
2. A No Code MVP with hand-held or simple functionality
3. An advanced MVP

1. A clickable MVP without any functionality behind

This is a great choice if you have no technical experience and want to get your MVP out into your customer’s hands quickly.

2. A No-Code MVP with hand-held or simple functionality

Creating a No-Code MVP is underrated. When I started my first Tech startup back in 2018 No-Code was not a thing, but today there is a No-Code that nearly fits every business case. No-code means tools where you can build your application without needing to code. You will of course have some restrictions compared to coding your application from scratch, but if you choose the right No-Code tool you are properly set for many years.
I’m not going to mention all the different No-Code tools available but I can recommend you to have a Talk with Maja Overgaard who is an expert in No Code.
These are the No-Code tools I have used so far.

3. An advanced MVP

When do we need to make an advanced MVP?

Are you trying to invent a new technology that never has been done before you might need to code it to prove it can be done. But often it’s not the UI that makes the difference in the beginning. What I’m trying to say is that you only need to start coding if you need a cool algorithm that does something smart, but then you can use a NoCode to make your algorithm come to life.

If you haven’t tested if your potential customers want to pay for the service you deliver, you can start by making a facade for your products and then hand-hold the functionality behind them. By doing this you can collect data on the customer’s behavior and thereby have data to attain an investment to hire developers to build the functionality behind.

I you wanna code everything from scratch take a look at my post about Starting a tech company without a tech background. Here I will take you through the things you need to consider to choose the best tech stack. 

What I want to tell with this story is, to use your resources where they are best spent. Creating a business is not only building an MVP, it requires many skills so take the shortcuts where you can, and don’t start building a rocket if all you need is a skateboard to get you from A to B. 

Final advice on building an MVP

My advice to you my fellow entrepreneur embarking on building your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for your startup is to always maintain a critical mindset. Continuously question the necessity of each feature and aspect, asking, “Is this truly essential to prove my idea?” By staying focused on the core elements that validate your concept, you’ll create a lean and effective MVP that efficiently serves its purpose. Remember, the goal is not to build a perfect product from the start but rather to gather crucial insights and feedback to iterate and improve upon. Stay focused, stay critical, and embrace the journey ahead with enthusiasm and determination.

A Delightfully Wacky Dive into the World of AI

Forfatter: Janelle Shane

“You Look Like a Thing and I Love You” – Where AI Meets Whimsy

Prepare to embark on a whimsical journey through the extraordinary realm of artificial intelligence with the brilliantly fun book, “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You.” In this delightful exploration, author Janelle Shane takes you by the hand and guides you through the quirky, unexpected, and utterly entertaining aspects of AI.

Unraveling AI with a Giggle

Forget the traditional, dry explanations of AI – this book approaches the subject with a refreshing dose of humor. As you flip through its pages, you’ll find yourself chuckling at anecdotes, witty asides, and charming AI tales. “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You” proves that learning about technology doesn’t have to be a snooze-fest; it can be a laugh-out-loud adventure.

Understanding the Weirder Side of AI

AI has a knack for making the world a stranger place, and this book unveils exactly why that’s the case. It demystifies complex AI concepts in a way that feels like chatting with a witty friend over coffee. Whether it’s AI’s bizarre creations, unexpected blunders, or the uncanny ability to make sense of chaos, you’ll be entertained and enlightened.

A Must-Read for Curious Minds

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or simply curious about AI’s influence on our lives, “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You” is a must-read. It doesn’t just break down the nuts and bolts of AI; it takes you on an enchanting journey into its heart, revealing why AI is turning our world into a wonderfully weird place.

In conclusion, this book is not your typical AI manual; it’s a celebration of the fascinating and amusing aspects of artificial intelligence. “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You” is your ticket to understanding AI while having an absolute blast. Dive in, have a laugh, and embrace the weird and wacky world of AI today!

Get your copy here

“Kvinde Kend Din Kode” – A Beacon of Empowerment for Women in Tech

Accessible Language and Practical Insights

Hands-On Learning with Practical Exercises

Addressing Challenges Faced by Women in Tech

A Gateway to a Tech Career

A Perfect Starting Point for Python Newbies

Forfatter: Michael Dawsons

“Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner” was my first dive into the world of Python programming, and I must say, it was an excellent choice for a beginner like me. This book, authored by Michael Dawsons, provides a welcoming and comprehensive introduction to Python, making it an ideal choice for anyone new to programming.

One of the standout features of this book is its abundance of practical examples. Python is renowned for its readability and simplicity, and this book capitalizes on those qualities by presenting a multitude of hands-on exercises and code snippets. These examples are thoughtfully designed to reinforce the concepts explained in each chapter. They were instrumental in helping me grasp the fundamental concepts of Python quickly and effectively.

The book is structured in a logical and progressive manner. It starts with the absolute basics, assuming no prior programming experience, and gradually introduces more complex topics. The pacing is comfortable, allowing readers to build a strong foundation before moving on to more advanced concepts. This approach greatly reduces the intimidation factor often associated with learning a new programming language.

The explanations provided are clear and concise, and complex topics are broken down into manageable chunks. The author has a talent for simplifying intricate ideas without oversimplifying them, ensuring that readers develop a solid understanding of Python’s core principles.

Additionally, the book covers essential topics such as data types, loops, functions, and object-oriented programming, making it a well-rounded resource for beginners. While it might not delve as deeply into these topics as more specialized books, it offers a fantastic starting point for further exploration.

In conclusion, “Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner” is an excellent choice for anyone new to Python. Its practical examples, clear explanations, and gradual progression make it a solid starting point for beginners. While it might not be the only book you need on your Python journey, it certainly provides a strong foundation to build upon. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone taking their first steps into the world of Python programming.

Get your copy here

Wanna build your own website or app? There is something magical about building an application from scratch and to do that you need both a frontend and a backend. In this post I’m going to take you along the journey of building a backend in Express.js.

First of, let us talk about what Express.js is. Express.js is a popular framework that enables you to build server applications in node.js. You can think of it as the link between your frontend and database. So instead of, linking your database directly to your frontend, you build a backend that handle request and sends data back to your backend in the right format. Just to give you an idea, the following is a list of combination of how you can design you client-server architecture stack.

• Angular.js (Frontend) + Express.js (Backend) + MongoDB (Database)
• Flutter (Frontend) + Express.js (Backend) + MongoDB (Database)
• React.js (Frontend) + Expressjs (Backend) + Firebase (Database)

Now that we know what it is used for, it’s time to setup an Express.js Backend. 

Create a new Express.js backend

I like working in VS Code so everything is going to be done using that code editer. If you haven’t already setup your code editer for node.js, you can follow the guide here. Check if you already have installed it by running npm install. 

First step into the world of building your own Express.js backend is to create a new project.

Go to VS Code

1. In the terminal go to the desired location on your computer where you wanna store your project and write mkdir <project-name>
2. Change to the new created folder with cd <project-name>
3. Initialize node.js in your new project by writing npm init
4. Fill out the questions asked (you can always modify the inputs later)
5. You will now find a new file in your folder package.json
6. Install Express.js by running npm install express

You folder will now include a new folder node_modules and package-lock.json including all preinstalled packages and the package.json file that will now look something like this:

Run the Express.js server

Now that you have installed that right packages it is time to create a file that can run the Express.js backend. So in your folder create a new file called app.js and write the following.

If you are not familiar with the JavaScript syntax you can read more about it here.

To run your server and see if it gives you the desired outcome, go to your terminal and write node app.js. Go to a browser and type in http://localhost:3000/ and you should now see “Server is up and listerning on port 3000” in your terminal.  But ass you can see in the browser it returns with “Cannot GET /”. This is because we haven’t specified a router, so /contact go to the contact page and / goes to the main page.  See below how to write the router function. In the function you have req which stands for request and res for respond. This server will therefor respond with “Hello, here is your first Express.js backend” in your browser and “Responding to root route” in your terminal. Remember to restart the server in your terminal. 

Return data in json format in Express.js

Lets say you have a datebase with users and you want the route /users to respond with the user information in json format. Then you can define a variable user1 and respond that variable in a json format as shown below. 

Optimize your workflow when working with Express.js

To make your life easier when working with your new Express.js backend, you can install the package nodemon. This package automatically restarts your node application when it detects changes in your folder. 

Run the following code in your terminal:

sudo npm install -g nodemon

When it is installed you can use nodemon app.js instead of node app.js.

I hope this helped you get started setting up your Express.js backend. If you have any questions or problems please leave a comment and I will see if I can help. If you haven’t decided on which frontend framework you want to use, then check out my post on how to get started working with Flutter. 

Have a great day and happy coding 👩🏽‍💻

One question I’m asked often is, “How do I learn to code?“. Coding can be a black box to many of us. It’s something that you hear that only guys who sits in a basement and eats a lot of chips and drinks Coca Cola does. But that is not true! Coding is for everyone and I mean everyone. You doesn’t have to be raised with computers or being a guy for that matter. I never had anyone in my family or friends growing up that could code. But at the age of 23 I was introduced to the world of coding and a door to the black box opened. But you may be wondering, How do I start coding? and Is coding even for me?. 

Here I will give you my tips, to how you can open the door to the magic black box of coding. I can already tell you, that when you have first opened the door it isn’t that black inside. It is just about grabbing the right door handle. 

Where to start when learning to code?

You might be wondering which door handle I’m talking about. What I mean is that, there is a lot of different paths to starting to code. And it really depends on what you want to accomplish.

Do you want to built an app?
Do you want to automate processes?
Do you want to create a website?
…the list could go on.

So your NUMBER ONE TAKEAWAY from this post is, FIGURE OUT YOUR WHY.

– Why do you want to learn to code?

Which programming language should I start with?

When you have figured out why you want to code, it is much easier to figure out which programming language you should start with. Each programming language has a purpose, so when you know your WHY, you can ask Google for instance, “How do I learn to code an app?“. This is a much better search term than, “How do I learn to code?“. But it’s still a quite broad search term, so you should narrow it more down to “How do I learn to code an iOS app?“. So try to see how specific you can be in what you want to learn to code. 

How do I learn to code?

Now that you know you why, it’s time to start learning how to code. We all learn differently, so this is just some inspiration to how you can tackle learning to code.

My first suggestion is find a book or a youtube video that explain the basic of the language you have choosen. I started with the book Python for absolute beginners. It took me through the basic terms and some cool small assignments.

You will soon learn that you need a specific place to write your code. You can do it in a terminal on your computer, but I will recommend that you install Anaconda Navigator. Here you will get Visuel Studio Code which you can use to code nearly all programming languages. Secondly, you get Jupyter Notebook which is used to code Python in.

When you have a place to write your code in and learned the basics of your new programmin language, it’s time to find yourself a small motivating project.

If you need some inspiration, you can go to my previous post Choosing a Flutter project, here I have gathered a few ideas for a good beginner app project.

When you have found your first project, write down in small steps what you want to accomplish. Then it is just about taking it one step of the time.

As a final tip – Coding is all about Googling. 

– The better you become at narrowing down your search term in Google the easier it gets to code. 

Happy coding and if you have any questions to how you get started learning to code, then please leave a comment below.