Brian Childress @_brianchildress

Fractional CTO - Focused on designing and building scalable solutions brianchildress.co Richmond, VA Joined October 2010

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

3 weeks ago

Requirements like “real-time” or “scalable” aren’t requirements, they are a recipe for over-engineered and over-budget software projects.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

2 months ago

We lose sight of the problem because we're so focused on the solution.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

2 months ago

Building for the scale you hope to get someday, maybe, in the future, at some point, is delaying your ability to get in front of real, paying customers now. More infrastructure won't bring more sales. More sales will bring money to buy more infrastructure.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

4 months ago

When your vendor reports that the reason they are down is because of Wi-Fi issues, you know it's time to start looking for a new vendor...

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

4 months ago

Submitted my first conference talk proposal for the season: The Vacation Rule: Operationalizing Freedom as a Fractional Leader As fractional leaders, it's important for us to balance the work impact and recovery. I plan to cover all of that in this session.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

5 months ago

Companies NEED strategy and clarity. Without it we're just productively procrastinating...

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

5 months ago

MVP = Minimum Valuable Product What do customers need/want that is valuable to them?

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

5 months ago

Estimates are really our best guess based on experience and current set of information. If we don’t feel like we have enough information to make a valid estimate, let’s say I need to find out this, this, and this to be able to give a better, more accurate estimate

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

6 months ago

You know what software doesn’t scale? Complex names and functions Trendy architectures Bleeding edge platforms What does scale? Boring technologies Boring architecture Simple design

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

11 months ago

Don't solve for hypotheticals, solve for reality.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

The biggest issue in engineering orgs? Communication! Common pitfalls: - Misunderstood project goals - Misaligned schedules - Delayed feedback - Outdated docs - Cross-department miscommunication - Remote work struggles Bridge these gaps for better teamwork and productivity!

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

Tired of wrestling with complex software? Simplicity is the real MVP. Here's why: - Easier to use - Faster to implement - Fewer bugs - Happier users

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

Software development is like an iceberg — lots of visible issues, but even more lurking beneath the surface. Finding root causes may feel slow and painful, but the long-term gains far outweigh the quick fixes. Dig deeper, fix the foundation, and watch your team soar.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

Sitting by the fire pit, I realized I’d become a millionaire without knowing it. I also realized that true happiness isn’t about the dollars; but about who’s in your life and the experiences you have. Sometimes, we reach our goals only to find out they weren’t what we needed.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

We need to slow down (strategy) to speed up (scale)

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

Thought leaders, your job isn't just to dish out generic advice. It's to help your followers decode and navigate their unique challenges. Blanket advice? Risky. Make the complex simple and the generic specific. Guide them through their journeys!

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

I'm always on the lookout for good behaviors from my teams to offer praise. Big or small, it doesn’t matter—I aim to praise in as many conversations as possible. It’s easy to point out the negatives, but genuine, authentic praise? It gets results and makes everyone feel great.

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Brian Childress @_brianchildress

a year ago

My favorite productivity hack? Speech to text! From emails to Slack messages to capturing random thoughts, it’s revolutionized my daily workflow. Give it a try and watch your efficiency soar!