As a group of staff consultants discussed legacy software apps, Brian Hughes pointed out it's useful to distinguish legacy *and/or* modernization. Sometimes separate buckets, sometimes combined. youtu.be/vI7wKLVzEtI

Neal Lindsay thinks of mutation testing as a more strict version of code coverage. And when you're trying to wrangle the profuse code generation an LLM gives you into code that actually does what you want, strictness is gold. Here's how he's applying that. https://link.testdouble.com/c8f60d

Software Leadership Circles applications for 2026 cohorts of software engineering and product leaders are open, but only until October 31! https://link.testdouble.com/22609f

Remote work observation: The best trust-building happens in unstructured moments. Create "coffee and code" sessions. Open video calls where people drop in while you work. No agenda = authentic connection.

LeadDev and StaffPlus New York talks have you pondering how to solve a problem? We offer no-strings-attached virtual office hours. Pair with an experienced sofware dev, product manager, or technical leader. https://link.testdouble.com/b0de11 #LeadDevNYC #StaffPlus

Jonathon Baugh shares an idea that originated from his 1980s frustration with that annoying VCR blinking 12:00. AI is reshaping the workforce, blurring roles, and breaking career ladders. Orgs can balance using a triad of people, technology, and business. https://link.testdouble.com/b419b3

We are expanding our popular leadership circles program to include blended cohorts of product and engineering leaders in 2026 for Software Leadership Circles. Applications to this free peer mentorship program are open now through October 31. https://link.testdouble.com/c47fda

Shout out to @kadams54.bsky.social, speaking Nov 4 at IndyPy about Pydantic: - getting data in to and out of models - using advanced features to simplify complex data - how Pydantic has become a foundation for everything from database access to AI https://www.meetup.com/indypy/events/305589187/

VP of Delivery @docondev.bsky.social shares reflections on what bug bashes reveal about the underlying system. https://docondev.com/blog/2025/9/25/bug-bashes-are-a-smell

Your monthly dose of better dev and product management practices—subscribe to the Test Double dispatch newsletter https://link.testdouble.com/452b47

The best remote team building happens when you're NOT trying to build the team. Unstructured "coffee and code" sessions > formal team meetings. How it works: https://link.testdouble.com/220119

All the Rocky Mountain Ruby talks have you puzzling over how to apply a technique? We offer no-strings-attached virtual office hours to pair with one of our experienced software devs, product managers, or technical leaders. https://link.testdouble.com/b0de11 #RockyMountainRuby

Monoliths might actually be strategic business tools (not tech debt). The uncomfortable reality: Most teams break apart monoliths to solve orgproblems, then spend years trying to coordinate the pieces they scattered. Why? https://link.testdouble.com/52aa3c

At Rocky Mountain Ruby? Double Agent Andrew Herr is there. Say hello! 💚 #RockyMountainRuby

During a recent conversation about legacy app modernization, Staff Consultant James Walker shared what truly defines legacy: something nobody can really work on.

🔧 Legacy code: rewrite or refactor? Key factors: - Business outcomes you're driving? - Security risks? - Framework support? - Team understanding of features/usage? - Risk tolerance? - Team understanding to maintain the system? Pro tip: There is no magic answer. It's always situational.

Get up to speed freaky fast. Solve hard problems. Pragmatic approaches to real work. Leave teams better than we found them. Seem more worthwhile than the plethora of butts in seats or slide shows extremes? We should talk.

Talk to someone else who gets it. We offer free office hours to talk about challenging problems. Pair with an experienced software developer or product manager who will ask you curious questions to help get you unstuck. https://link.testdouble.com/b0de11

Python devs, is this familiar: Your team writes beautiful snake_case code. Every external API wants camelCase. You could: - Pollute your code with non-Pythonic naming - Write manual conversion layers - Live with the friction Or you could use Pydantic's field aliases to solve this once and for all.

Expert developers *can* make mistakes. Ignoring that leads to high intensity events. Gabriel Côté-Carrier thinks there's a better way. Invest in systems to manage inevitable mistakes so they are rarer and less impactful. https://link.testdouble.com/1834f3

Scaling engineering without scaling problems. It's common to equate scaling with churning out features. Instead understand the human element behind blockers. Iterative improvements compound instead of problems for better technical and business outcomes. https://link.testdouble.com/076e97

This approach to unstructured video calls might change how you build relationships with remote teams. Counterintuitively, it's about embracing the awkward silence until it becomes comfortable. https://link.testdouble.com/220119

Microservices scaling: MedTech with 50+ services, 235k daily requests Mission: Streamline and balance speed with quality Fix: Strategic simplification Results: 50% faster deployments, resolutions in minutes Embedded advisory solving problems alongside your team > consultant recs that disappear

Know an engineering, IT, product, marketing, or strategy leader in the healthcare space? We're benchmarking challenges they're facing. Share this survey with them: https://forms.kalynamarketing.com/r/healthcare-it-2025

Real field reports from 3 different legacy modernization approaches—including why each path was chosen for the situation. If you're trying to understand for the first time the pros and cons of a legacy rewrite vs. refactor, this one's for you! https://link.testdouble.com/ff68b2

Shiny new rewrite? Refactor over time? Monolith or break it up? There are so many ways any path can get stupid expensive, time-consuming, and a big freaking pain. It's also kind of our thing. Give us a shout and we can talk about what makes sense for you and your team.

You shouldn't have to choose: clean Python code or poorly-named external APIs. Pydantic field aliases let you have both: Pythonic variable names in your code, whatever naming scheme the API expects on the wire. No more manual field mapping or workarounds. https://link.testdouble.com/ddffe7 #Python

Stuck on a tough challenge? ➡️ Debugging a gnarly codebase? ➡️ Wondering whether to do a rewrite or refactor your legacy system? ➡️ Evaluating if your product idea is solving the right problem? We've got you covered: free, no strings attached office hours Book here 👉 https://link.testdouble.com/x5r

Miss Rails World 2025 in Amsterdam? We've got you. Double Agent Mike Bowman shares a field report from Rails World 2025, complete with highlights on favorite talks, photos of the venue, and notes on the Ruby Embassy experience. link.testdouble.com/5b9864 #RailsWorld

It takes many years of lessons learned to scale software without scaling problems. We've made every mistake so you don't have to! Find out how we helped an early-stage startup make iterative improvements to increase efficiency and the bottom line as they scale. https://link.testdouble.com/076e97

"I was elated when another engineer mentioned deploying a new dashboard without my involvement." We don't focus only on the technical solution—we also build team capabilities. Our approach to observability, and why the human element matters most: https://link.testdouble.com/a882ec

When you work with constraints instead of fighting them, you discover some pretty cool ways to solve problems.

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

Itching to problem solve after all of those #RailsWorld talks, but trying to figure out where to start? Request a no-strings-attached, virtual pairing session with our experienced software devs or product managers for after you get back from travels.

When a wide range of things aren't working or didn't scale effectively, you hit trade off decisions. To make an effective business case for budgeting you need to ensure you're advocating for the right things. Our pragmatic and actionable assessments help you do just that.

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

Your velocity problem isn't a headcount problem. It's an unclear requirements problem. A technical debt problem. A tooling problem. Hiring more developers to work around broken processes just amplifies the chaos. https://link.testdouble.com/904ed5

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

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

An ESOP is more than a way to contribute to your long-term retirement plan—it's a strategy for sustainable growth, smart reinvestment, and a culture of shared success. https://link.testdouble.com/ccc9f5

To think differently about your problems, you not only need to look at things from a different angle—you need to look at different *things*

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

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.

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 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

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

Sometimes to do more you need to stop and first think about how you're doing the thing in the first place.

MOAR story points is not the answer 🫠 https://link.testdouble.com/82e8d1

Imagine Lord Business stops obsessing over story points. They talk about impact and ask better questions. Data informs decisions—instead of controlling people. It's time we stop measuring what's easy—and start measuring what matters. https://link.testdouble.com/82e8d1