Puppies and Deming: Why Everything Is Your Fault (And That’s Good)
After 16 years of cat ownership—who owned who is left to the reader—we got puppies. Our first ones. Super cute. Endless snuggles. Also: puddles and piles (if you know, you know).
Justin Pease
Sometimes I write stuff.
Latest posts
You Are Not Who You Think You Are
You’re at dinner. Someone’s talking to you. And without thinking, you glance at your phone.
Tech Debt Ain’t Bad
Tech debt ain’t all bad. What can we learn from the comparison to financial debt?
Assume Clarification is Needed
If you’re going to make an assumption, assume that additional clarification is needed.
Pointless Velocity
Languages are dynamic. They grow and change shape. Existing words are repurposed to describe new ideas. Sometimes it’s helpful. Often it’s harmless. But in some cases, like today’s example, it results in layers of absolute and utter nonsense that compound gloriously.
Three Process Parables
How do the following words make you feel?
Reader Beware: Context Matters
Are trees green? Is the sky blue? Yes, of course. Everyone knows that.
How to Say No
You will be asked to do the impossible. ⚠ Proceed with caution. ⚠ Saying “Yes” to everything is a great way to let others down while also burning yourself out. 👍 On the other hand, simply saying “No” a lot doesn’t solve your problems either. It may make more. At one company early in my management career, my Director pulled me aside. He shared that amongst the leadership team, I had earned the…
The Words We Use - Sprint
This post is part of The Words We Use series. Sprint is commonly used in software engineering to describe a period of planned work, and frankly, it annoys me a bit. Let me explain. I live in beautiful Boise, ID surrounded by hundreds of miles of foothill trails, like the one pictured above. When I venture out on my mountain bike, I know I have to pace myself according to the physical challenges of…
The Words We Use - Deadline
This post is part of The Words We Use series. During an interview this morning I was asked about how I approach deadlines. My answer began with something like: “I’m not sure of deadline’s etymology, but it doesn’t sound friendly. It would seem to imply that if the line is crossed, death will result. Or at the very least, there will be some very serious consequences. In my experience, deadlines are…