In healthcare, challenges around interoperability, compliance, and data abound. A pragmatic approach that's focused on driving the business forward helps cut through the noise. Many thanks to Kiley Blake for contributing insights to our report, Symptoms to Sources!

Learn how to validate datatypes that go beyond Python's primitives. This blog from Kyle Adams & Gabriel Côté-Carrier covers different validators included with Pydantic as well as how to write your own custom validators. And it's post 4 in an ongoing series! https://link.testdouble.com/09072d

Many teams get stuck choosing between massive rewrites (unrealistic) or good intentions (unsustainable). There's a better way. An incremental, ratcheting approach can give you more leverage for lasting impact. We offer assessments that can help you find the seams and map out a plan to get started.

The problems most worth solving are often the slippery ones. The problems that are hard to define the edges of. Many thanks to Mike Berkman for contributing insights to our report on healthcare challenges, Symptoms to Sources!

Python type safety lightbulb moment: mypy = compile-time safety Pydantic = runtime safety Helped a client shift domain knowledge from heads → codebase with this combo. https://link.testdouble.com/769eb9 No more "wait, what does this field contain?" moments 🎯 #python #pydantic

Staff Consultant Brian Hughes shares why a seams approach to legacy modernization can be even more complicated when seams are crossed. This introduces multiple possible paths. Luckily for you, we've encountered that before 💚 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilk7...

50+ microservices. Lean team. Daily fires. The fix: - Custom logging library - API gateway architecture - Structured learning via katas - Improved Collaboration 50% faster deployments, resolutions in minutes. Software problems are human problems. We speak human. https://link.testdouble.com/1bd181

Product transformations fail when you try to change behaviors without naming them first. Not taglines. Real principles that constrain decisions. Trade-offs that acknowledge tension. Example: Quality even over speed. Without this autonomy becomes chaos. https://link.testdouble.com/e34baf

Increasingly software problems are data problems, and this is especially true in healthcare. Many thanks to Andrew Warner for contributing to our report, Symptoms to Sources!

Complex systems are usually complex for incidental reasons. It's counter-intuitive, but purposefully simplifying can be huge for scaling.

When you're weighing a legacy rewrite vs refactor, consider what stays and what doesn't. You don't need everything in a new or updated system. Staff Consultant Steve Jackson says cutting scope can align with a rewrite, and deserves review with your product team. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N4y...

Code is a means, not an end. The code itself is ephemeral. What endures is the solved problem, the working system, the user who can now do their job better. That's why, while we use AI to solve interesting challenges, we say software problems are human problems.

In healthcare there are so many areas you could choose to solve problems and improve inefficiencies. When you focus on the voice of the customer and improving patient outcomes, that's when you get to bigger impact. Many thanks to Sara Saldoff for sharing insights for our report, Symptoms to Sources.

Product teams at a $6.5B retailer were missing deadlines, engineers quit, and funding was cut 40%. Focus for the win: 12 initiatives to 5, decision framework, and data-driven culture. Product releases went from 1x/quarter to 2x/month. https://link.testdouble.com/1f52f2

Stop debugging auth issues in production. One solid smoke test can catch auth regressions before they hit your users. Here's how to set up reliable auth testing with Playwright in Next.js—without slowing down your team. https://link.testdouble.com/3d3dd4

We don't mind working in legacy codebases. In fact, legacy rescues are super rewarding to our folks—because we start by respecting the legacy of that legacy code. More from Dave Mosher on what makes for a good software consultant: https://link.testdouble.com/82e8d1

You can turn observability from team complaint to competitive advantage without ripping out the entire logging infrastructure. Our approach? Fix the next most painful thing. Build momentum. Transfer knowledge. https://link.testdouble.com/a882ec

TFW nothing works, everyone is frustrated with everything, and you don't know what to fix or where to start. Our technical and product assessments uncover root causes and prioritize real fixes we can help you with, not slide deck solutions. Give us a holler to find out more.

Your Rails codebase is one of the world's largest and you're shipping critical work ... how do you upgrade? Gusto partnered with us! 1,700 test failures fixed, on time, under budget, tech stack modernized. Rails expertise matters when you can't afford disruption. https://link.testdouble.com/a7ff6a

From "don't make mistakes" to "let's manage them better" is a journey. One mindset leads to burnout and blame. The other leads to automation, better processes, and actually sustainable software delivery. Guess which one works? https://link.testdouble.com/1834f3

C# running on: Raspberry Pi (IoT) Unity games Linux containers Mobile apps via MAUI Web apps (Blazor) Desktop (cross-platform) @patricktcoakley.com‬ breaks down myths, discusses how C# and .NET evolved & shares useful tools & libraries. https://link.testdouble.com/b7b1bd

You know when Bruce Banner shares that his secret to controlling Hulk state is that he's always angry? When it comes to working with legacy software, our secret is that we love facing the unknown and complex. As Staff Consultant Brian Hughes says, "Show us the dragons!" youtu.be/vHM-F5krDk4

Limited budget is the biggest blocker for 8 out of 10 health tech leaders. Yet 84% increased AI spend in 2025. 🚩 Without the right foundation, AI introduces more problems than it solves. Our report breaks down why, and how to focus on solving systemic problems: https://link.testdouble.com/389f5e

We're having a Ratatouille moment in software. LLMs and agentic coding tools are making good on a promise that's been science fiction for so long that we're having a hard time believing it. And like the characters in Gusteau's kitchen, we have choices to make: https://link.testdouble.com/71e7ce

The hidden math of team scaling: every new developer doesn't just add capacity—they add communication complexity, onboarding overhead, and code review bottlenecks. Make sure you're solving the right problem first. https://link.testdouble.com/904ed5

CEO & Co-founder Todd Kaufman talked with E.N.G. Media about: 🤔 Legacy systems are misunderstood 🧨 Avoid a complete rewrite 🤩 Great software consultants 🤖 Unique approach to AI tooling 🏗️ 100% employee-owned company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXzNWYtmlI

During a conversation around legacy software application challenges, Interim Principal Consultant Dave Mosher shared why he thinks it's important to have a healthy level of detachment from your codebase. youtu.be/cXuP9gHr-cY

When you want to remove tests because maintenance costs outweigh benefits, not just to make it go green.

In healthcare, everyone's spending on AI. How do you ensure it pays off? AI fails when built on a shaky foundation. If you're grappling with siloed data, aiming for the wrong metrics, or running legacy systems that can't keep pace—AI won't solve those problems. https://link.testdouble.com/389f5e

Taking a prescriptive AI agentic prompt approach pigeonholes the model into a path. Don't miss out on AI agents' greatest strength—explorability! Joé Dupuis shares a double loop model for iteration. https://link.testdouble.com/b473f3

Cars legacy modernization field report Before: Legacy systems blocking innovation After: 50+ upskilled engineers shipping daily with Elixir/Phoenix Secret sauce: Software consultants who embed as team members, not external advisors chucking slides over a wall.

When you cut features you can discover yourself in a cascading failures situation. It happens to even the best teams. And it can be hard to test for. Still not a reason to throw away a legacy app for a full rewrite. Often you can refactor by focusing on the seams. youtu.be/4EZI6erR2JU

Being a founder is hard—getting to a validated MVP as a non-technical founder is confounding. Find out how we helped a physical therapy startup iteratively test and learn: - idea validation - feature discovery & prioritization - efficient development cycles https://link.testdouble.com/03fe9b

Agentic coding favors TDD. Awesome, right? Until you realize LLMs learned their testing knowledge from randos on the internet who don't understand testing. 😅 Coding with AI still requires software developers with experience on hard problems, plus discernment on what is right for the situation.

Welcome to our newest Double Agent, VP of Sales & Marketing, Nate Casto 💚🎉

Test Double CEO & Co-founder Todd Kaufman talks about the importance of seeking to understand before being understood 💚, and why most software projects still fail due to org rather than technical issues. 😅 https://www.codewithjason.com/podcast/18110034-276-todd-kaufman-agent-001-at-test-double/

We inherit our constraints. Legacy systems, team expertise, deployment limits. HTMX turns these into advantages. One script tag. Enhanced UX. No rewrite. Ship today. Stop fighting your stack—enhance it. Your users are waiting. Dave Mosher shows how: https://link.testdouble.com/845798

🚨 MIT: 95% of corporate AI pilots fail Based on decades of business transformation experience, our own Ed Frank thinks the 5% that win focus on: ✓ Quantify success first ✓ Lead agile from the CEO down ✓ Make the C-suite adapt ✓ Change the org, not just tech ✓ Fix the fundamentals

Kubernetes complexity making your brain run out of RAM? 🤯 Ed Toro's Rails script approach means you don't have to memorize kubectl flags. His patterns create tab-autocomplete paths through K8s configuration, context switching, and pod execution. https://link.testdouble.com/cdebdc

We often front-load discovery to feel confident before building—but that's not real agility. Doc Norton explores how continuous learning reduces risk better than perfect plans ever could. https://link.testdouble.com/5b3945

During a discussion on legacy modernization, we talked salty takes because there's usually a kernel of truth there. Staff Consultant James Walker's cheeky response gets at software problems are human problems. youtu.be/Q-tGsqFIf2U

Staff Consultant Steve Jackson shared a reality check during a recent conversation on legacy system challenges: technical fixes don't save a failing organization. You need to uncover root causes beneath surface-level tech problems. Software problems are human problems. youtu.be/EtDMtMgw9Ao

One time we heard someone from Atlassian say developers are not creative. Wat?

The number of failed local Docker setups Ed Toro has seen ... 🫣 Ed solves this by treating Rails scripts as "partial function applications," organizing Docker commands so tab-autocomplete guides developers to what they need. Without becoming container experts. https://link.testdouble.com/8f43a7

Let's update your software systems bit by bit—no need to throw everything out and start from scratch. Give us a holler if you want to talk more about what that means for you, your team, and your codebase.

Unlike coding agents, our double agents can quickly distinguish between what’s crap and what’s credible. Agentic coding makes a lot of things possible, but you still want a human with experience and discernment at the helm.

Brian Hughes shares a useful framework to think about evaluating your legacy codebase. youtu.be/FyJx7EJnlfQ

Software consulting is like an experience accelerator. Encounter a variety of interesting challenges, codebases and projects, plus work with some of the best teams in tech. Find out more about what it's like to work as a consultant at Test Double. https://link.testdouble.com/a0833f

"We just need to be more careful about quality" … 💥 Famous last words. Developers aren't perfect. Even AI hallucinates and needs human review. So why keep designing systems that assume perfection? You need systems that manage inevitable mistakes. https://link.testdouble.com/1834f3

Due to the nature of our double agents' work as consultants, we often watch for ways to improve onboarding and environment setup. Ed Toro has some useful power up scripts for Rails that he's sharing in three parts. First up: environment setup. https://link.testdouble.com/60fba8