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Why Software Craftsmanship Is A Tough Sell

It can be difficult for proponents of Software Craftsmanship to land work, especially when pitching Software Craftsmanship on its merits. What should we make of the fact that large companies tend to have be more resistant to software craftsmanship?

TDD Is Dead; Long Live TDD

Everyone’s extolling TDD these days. Well, almost everyone. Some conversationalists at SDTconf ’09 debated whether the honeymoon may be over.

Agile Notes: Why Story Cards Matter

Does writing formal story cards feel hokey? Although they may seem ceremonious, well-formatted story cards add critical value to the software development process. In this essay I’ve broken down the aspects and features I like to use/see on story cards…

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A Couple of Thoughts About "Standard Agile"

Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about standardization of Agile methodologies, and while some of the discussion may be well-intended, I feel the trend isn’t a healthy direction for the Agile movement. My concern is that it reveals a reverence for manufacturing which doesn’t help teams and managers when implementing Agile practices.

Apprenticeship Patterns: The White Belt

As a new programmer, how can you get the maximum value out of your learning effort? How do you determine which languages, technologies or techniques are the most important to learn first? Continuing my series on Apprenticeship Patterns, here are some of my experiences and reflections on the second pattern in the book: The White Belt.

Apprenticeship Patterns: My First Language

Lately I’ve been reading Apprenticeship Patterns. As I read the apprenticeship patterns in that book, I often find myself mapping them to my own experiences. Seems like a nice meme for a blog series. So starting from the beginning, here are my experiences in the first pattern: Your First Language.

I’m Joel Helbling, and I am fanatical about integration. I have a profound belief in connectivity, and I love to see people and the systems they create reach their full potential. My personality, vision and passion lead me to opportunities where complex technology challenges interact with the goals of the people with whom I work. I am addicted to discovery, and I instinctively teach anything and everything I know to anyone who needs to know what I know.