Blog posts

Programming with LLMs for programmers - Beyond the Hype

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Programming , Artificial intelligence , Software development

Introduction

The field of software development is currently abuzz with discussions about Large Language Models (LLMs), AI agents, and autonomous systems. New libraries and frameworks emerge daily, each promising to revolutionize our coding practices. However, amidst this flurry of buzzwords and complex tools, it’s easy to overlook that many programming tasks involving LLMs can be accomplished with a straightforward approach; it’s not rocket science. While crafting production-ready LLM-based systems is not trivial, using LLMs as part of a system is quite manageable, especially if you avoid over-reliance on the abundance of dedicated frameworks.

Hurry, or Something Smells Here [Archive]

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Productivity , Organizational culture

Hurry, or Something Smells Here

When I think about various problems organizations face, especially recurring ones, the most characteristic symptom that something is wrong is hurry.

Antipattern: Adrenaline Junkie

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Project management , Behavioral patterns

Understanding Project Pressure and Tension

I constantly wonder why situations arise where pressure and tension are generated in projects. One reason is that most projects are simply complex—you have to coordinate several, sometimes dozens of people, anticipate and plan in advance what will happen, and determine what resources will be needed. As a species, we’re not very good at detailed long-term planning (see: David Rock – Your Brain at Work).

Perspective of the Other Side

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Leadership , Communication

Common Leadership Challenges

While working with leaders, I often encounter a recurring issue—they want someone else to change their behavior. For example:

Meetings in a Hurry Are Not Effective Ones

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Agile practices , Meeting facilitation

The Importance of Timeboxing in Scrum

The timeboxing is a fundamental technique for many Scrum activities. There is often a misunderstanding that meetings should be fast, leading facilitators to rush participants to finish within the timebox. This haste results in poorly discussed problems and many uninformed decisions.

Have a Clear Vision, Stick to the Intention and Adjust the Implementation

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Leadership , Project management , Agile development

No matter if you are a tech lead, Scrum Master, Product Owner, or a member of the team, if you want to make your idea a reality, here is a very simple (and of course very difficult to implement) advice:

Two Structuring Meetings Patterns

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Meeting facilitation , Scrum practices

As I describe in my book, it is beneficial to structure meetings (or parts of meetings) to make them more effective. Here are two examples useful for planning meetings, applicable in Scrum and adaptable to other contexts.

The Hacker Way

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Software development , Agile practices

A few days ago, Paweł Wrzeszcz sent me Erik Meijer’s talk “One Hacker Way” (watch here) from the GOTO Conference in Copenhagen. It is a very provocative talk, which is great. It questions the Scrum method and challenges the status quo in Agile. Given that Scrum is a dominant framework in software development, a critical view is healthy, especially as Agile has become a significant business machine over the past 20 years. When implementing Agile at Scale, core ideas can easily become distorted. (Check out Dave Thomas’ “Agile is Dead” talk here).

Technical Leadership Book is Available

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Books , Leadership

Exciting Announcement: Technical Leadership Book Release

It is a great pleasure for me to share the information that today is the premiere of my book “Technical Leadership”.

Conferences Time

• Mariusz Sieraczkiewicz
• Conferences , Agile practices , Leadership

Autumn is usually a busy time full of conferences, and this year is no different. After a few interesting events like Devoxx Poland in Cracow, Codepot and Agile by Example in Warsaw, it’s now time for new experiences.