Category: Software Development

Apache Kafka: Is It Right For You?

Apache Kafka has grown a lot in functionality & reach in last couple of years. It’s used in production by one third of the Fortune 500, including 7 of the top 10 global banks, 8 of the top 10 insurance companies, 9 of the top 10 U.S. telecom companies [source].

This article gives you a quick tour of the core functionality offered by Kafka. I present lot of examples to help you understand common usage patterns. Hopefully you’ll find some correlation with your own workflows & start leveraging the power of Kafka. Let’s start by looking at 2 core functionalities offered by Kafka.

Continue reading “Apache Kafka: Is It Right For You?” →

The Science of Software Estimation

Estimating software development effort is tricky and can often be a point of contention in the team. I have seen teams spending an entire day planning a 2 week sprint, working out every detail of every task. After a few sprints they have some sense of their team’s “velocity” and could tell how much work their team can deliver in a sprint. And I have seen teams where developers huddle casually, take on major features, gives out rough dates, and miss their deadline by a lot.

I can’t propose a generic process for estimation as it’s highly dependent on the nature of business, team size, culture etc. And frankly I don’t even know what the best process looks like. Instead I am going to share some common pitfalls and best practices that are applicable for any development team. This is a useful read for developers and product owners alike. Let’s dive in!

Continue reading “The Science of Software Estimation” →