Intro There are three principal ways if you want to want to have an llm with custom responses and operating on custom (maybe private and confidential) data. Train your own LLM Fine-tune an existing LLM Use a default model, but leverage a long context with information to improve r … | Continue reading
Intro Respecting user privacy has always been important. And with GDPR, CCPR and other laws it became mandatory for all of us. While privacy is important it’s also a vital interest for online businesses to know how users are using their apps and websites. This allows businesses f … | Continue reading
Intro As part of my assignments as tech advisor and Fractional CTO I have to evaluate technology stacks and recommend certain approaches. It always depends of course. But when it comes to microservices we should trust what Martin Fowler recommends: “One reasonable argument we’ve … | Continue reading
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) offers an exciting way to provide data to Large Language Models (LLMs) and generate responses based on your own content. This approach is particularly beneficial when dealing with sensitive data that should remain within controlled environment … | Continue reading
Intro Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a powerful technique to supply data to a Large Language Model (LLM) and generate accurate responses based on your own content. In my previous blog post, I experimented with a locally running the Llama32 model to answer questions using … | Continue reading
The challenge Recently, I’ve been deeply involved in tech diligence and strategy projects, which are all about quickly accessing the right information. The challenge lies in the fact that this information is scattered across multiple sources, such as pre-due diligence reports, po … | Continue reading
What is a Good API? Note: While API just means “Application Programming Interface” - this article mostly talks about an Http “RESTful” API that is accessible via the internet and sends back Json. Table Of Contents What is a Good API? The API as a User Interface Structuring Intern … | Continue reading
Toyota Production System and Software Development In software development, efficiency and effectiveness are crucial for maintaining competitiveness and innovation. One of the most influential methodologies that can help achieve these goals is the Toyota Production System (TPS), t … | Continue reading
Knowing what to build, when and how is a key success factor for any tech team. But breaking an idea down into workable chunks is non trivial. A key tool for determining what to build are user story maps developed by Jeff Patton. User story maps help teams visualize the journey of … | Continue reading
Security within development teams is not just a priority but a necessity. Ensuring that security measures are deeply embedded in every aspect of your team’s workflow can significantly reduce vulnerabilities and protect your organization from potential threats and costs. This blog … | Continue reading
The Power of Brown Bag Sessions in Tech Staying updated with the latest trends, tools, and best practices is crucial. One effective way to foster continuous learning and team bonding within a tech department is through Brown Bag Sessions. These informal, lunchtime meetings are de … | Continue reading
Intro A two-pizza team is a small, cross-functional group dedicated to supporting a specific business capability. It was introduced by Jeff Bezos during Amazon’s rapid growth. During the growth teams just got bigger, but communication and productivity just broke down. Jeff theref … | Continue reading
Implementing Career Ladders: A Simple and Straightforward Approach In my book on tech management, one topic that always garners attention is “career ladders.” A well-defined career ladder is essential for organizational growth, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. I … | Continue reading
A Simple Way to Visualizing Software Architecture Effectively communicating the structure and design of a system is crucial. Whether you’re explaining your architecture to a new team member or documenting it for future reference, clarity is key. But how do you document your archi … | Continue reading
Amazon’s Planning Cycles: A Guide for Leaders As CTO and Interim CTO, I am always looking for ways to optimize your company’s planning and execution processes. One of the most successful models out there is Amazon’s Operating Model. It’s described in the fantastic book “Working B … | Continue reading
Intro I recently read “Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon” (https://www.amazon.com/-/en/Colin-Bryar/dp/1250267595) by authors Colin Bryar and Bill Carr. It’s a fascinating book about Amazon’s operational strategies. The book is a great read, and … | Continue reading
Intro As Interim CTO I often closely collaborate with non-technical folks. And often we come to the topic of “test coverage”. For non-techies this concept looks very simple. High test coverage is good, low test coverage is bad. Let’s just force the teams to produce a high test co … | Continue reading
Introduction 20% time projects have always been a celebrated concept in the tech world. They offer employees the freedom to explore new ideas, contribute to the business in innovative ways, and boost overall motivation. However, without proper structure, side projects can quickly … | Continue reading
Why Staging Systems Are a Lie In software development, staging systems have long been seen as a crucial step in the deployment pipeline. The idea is simple: replicate your production environment as closely as possible to catch any issues before they hit your live users. Sounds gr … | Continue reading
Lido: A Lightweight Alternative to DDD When it comes to structuring an application, Domain-Driven Design (DDD) is often hailed as the gold standard. However, DDD can sometimes be too rigid and complex for simpler applications. This blog post presents a straightforward and lightwe … | Continue reading
Introduction Since around 2015, microservices have been sold as the revolutionary way to make businesses more agile and responsive. Promoted as the ultimate solution for modern software development, microservices have generated countless success stories on platforms like YouTube … | Continue reading
To test-first or not to test, that is the question. ―William Shakespeare Intro Test Driven Development, or TDD, came up as part of Extreme Programming (XP) around the year 2000. The idea behind TDD is simple: first, you write a test. Then, you write the code to make that test pas … | Continue reading
Intro If you’re working with software that runs on mobile devices - otherwise known as “apps” - you’ve probably come across the term “PWA”. But what is a PWA - and why should you care? Basics Developing software for Android and iPhone (iOS) is expensive. You have to support two d … | Continue reading
Introduction I am a very average person. And I am for sure sub-average when it comes to connecting with people, asking for a favor or selling things that I have created. It does not come naturally to me. Like for most people I know. Once I talk to someone it gets better, eg when … | Continue reading
Introduction I am born in Bavaria and raised with Bavarian and Austrian accents mainly. My high school education in Bavaria gave me a solid foundation in English. And I am truly thankful for that. English skills are so important these days! Most of my lessons in my Computer Scien … | Continue reading
Intro I am often asked what a good Interim CTO does. A good interim CTO is like a technical Swiss Army knife. But that’s not really a good description. When I break down what I personally do as an Interim CTO, it boils down to exactly three things: Bridging the leadership gap Fix … | Continue reading
Introduction Writing and selling your own book is not complicated. The following post shows my approach to self-publishing. Publishing books is cool for many reasons. My main reason is not to make money through self-publishing, but to show how I operate as Interim Manager and Int … | Continue reading
Model S Here’s my honest review after 14.000km with a Model S Plaid. Get buckled up! Hot It Came About Order Process I created a small script that informed me automatically when a Model S Plaid in the correct color for a reduced showed up on the Tesla website. This was the case e … | Continue reading
Intro I recently book a flight with Lufthansa. Unfortunately, there was a strike and my flight was canceled. And when your flight is canceled then you get your money back. Easy. Or so I thought. It was not easy at all and highlighted some interesting processes at Lufthansa that s … | Continue reading
Table Of Contents Free Speech and Political Correctness Political Correctness in Business Coinbase Basecamp Google Changes Course Elon Musk and AI Conclusion Free Speech and Political Correctness The USA is the land of free speech. I think that’s amazing. And think that people sh … | Continue reading
I don’t sign NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements). Wait. What? The Initial Consulting Call As a consultant and Interim CTO I have to talk to many potential clients. In other industries these talks are called sales calls. For me it is different. These initial talks are a way to unders … | Continue reading
SOCIAL MEDIA KILLED SEO. Wait. What? Intro More and more successful businesses are built around social media personalities. SEO stays relevant but is trailing. That seems to be especially true for new businesses entering the stage. If you want to make it big and break the SEO bar … | Continue reading
Intro The question of whether your company should be organized like a family or a professional sports team is not a new one. Recently, the trend seems to be leaning away from the family model and towards the sports team approach. Both have their pros and cons, and it’s worth expl … | Continue reading
Intro Will AI replace software engineering and programming? 🤔 My take: Absolutely and positively YES! Let’s checkout why. Software Engineering is Very Expensive and Not Very Productive We are doing lots of repetitive tasks during our daily lives as software engineers. Mov … | Continue reading
An Excellent Book Written by a Compensation Consultant As part of my Interim CTO assignments I frequently developed and put in place career ladders for my clients. One book that helped me quite a lot to was Michael O’Malley’s classic “Are You Paid What You’re Worth?” from 1998. O … | Continue reading
Note: This is an update to a post that was originally published on my old blog. Speed: Key Factor for Successful Interim Management There is a significant difference between a Permanent Manager and an Interim CTO. Permanent managers have a lot of time for onboarding. Usually, the … | Continue reading
On Work Performance Many of my assignments as Interim CTO are very very demanding and stressful. That’s cool and I like it that way. I am also mostly working in an office. Sitting most of the day. In my early 20s I experienced some very severe cases of back pain. And this was not … | Continue reading
Problem Your team is not performing well. How do you identify underperforming team members without undergoing a long and tedious feedback and performance cycle? Solution Implement the Netflix keeper test. The Netflix Keeper test operates by answering one simple question: “Which o … | Continue reading
Contrary to popular belief - the answer to everything is NOT 42 - it’s PostgreSQL. (ok. It might also be Postgres). Table Of Contents Intro Rock Solid and Stable Easy to Run, Install and Scale Simplifies Your IT Setup PostgreSQL Replaces Solr and Elastic: Full-Text Search Postgre … | Continue reading
Three States Design for three states when creating user interfaces: Regular State Blank State (First visit - or no data) Error State (Opsi! An error occurred) Most interfaces are only designed for the Regular State. As with everything - it’s a tradeoff. Think of All States - Not … | Continue reading
Dismiss your reports based on 1:1s that repeatedly don’t make you feel comfortable. Wait. What? That’s a surprising takeaway from a talk between Christian Hecker (Founder Trade Republic) and the host Philipp Westermeyer on the OMR podcast. Christian got these insights from Keith … | Continue reading
My Journey in Technology I began my coding journey in the 90s and landed my first paid jobs during the dot.com bubble in Germany. Since then, I’ve transitioned from being a coder to a manager, offering my expertise as an Interim CTO. Almost all the clients I’ve worked with, and a … | Continue reading
Bridging the Gap In 2021, I served as the Interim CTO for Mister Spex. The job was rather straightforward. The long-time outgoing CTO had embarked on a new journey, but the incoming CTO couldn’t start immediately, only in around six months. Consequently, I was hired to bridge the … | Continue reading
A Texas Trip In November 2023, I was delighted to spend several days with two awesome folks, Martin and Yamine, in Texas. We had the opportunity to experience the launch of Spaceship 2 (thanks, Elon!) and explore Texas and especially Houston and Austin. The entire trip was fantas … | Continue reading
Ships and Speed A long time ago, I read about shipping and the concepts of full prudent speed and breakneck speed. If you run your ship at a prudent speed, everything is under control. You don’t endanger anyone. You’ll deliver your goods, and everything will be fine. But sometime … | Continue reading
Intro In my Interim CTO career I’ve often seen software systems that were quickly developed and delivered to clients with great fanfare. Some of these systems were successful for a very long time. But some of them failed miserably after release and had to be rewritten from the gr … | Continue reading
Intro In the first part we investigated whether PostgreSQL could be used as storage for time series data. Our results were not bad, but the performance was too slow for our use-case. One option to increase the performance is the usage of specialized time-series databases. One of … | Continue reading
Intro Dokku is awesome. The Dokku Postgres plugin is awesome. And the postgres plugin allows you to specify the docker image to use for Postgres. As we want to use Timescale (also awesome) we should be able to simply specify Timescale’s postgres image so that the Dokku plugin can … | Continue reading