Mike Shoemake

I have been a successful software developer for 20 years. I have been a part of some epic failures, and have also seen software projects that were really done the right way. In that time, some great leaders and mentors came my way and I did my best to learn everything I could from their example. I believe the key to being successful in any arena is to exist in a constant state of learning. There is always something you can do better. Maybe it's your processes, the way you interact with people, or the technologies you use. The great thing about software development is that it never stands still. This industry is constantly pushing the envelope. Walls are demolished, ceilings are broken through. As a developer and leader, I believe my responsibility is to embrace the change and be part of that--to contribute to it.

My goal here is to share what I've learned over the past 20 years in hopes that something I've learned might help someone else. Please feel free to leave a comment! I'm happy to discuss any topic. Let's learn from each other! Thanks for stopping by!

In the Spotlight

Surviving Process Improvement Initiatives

Here are some guiding principles for change agents that will help make your process improvement initiatives reliably successful. Change smarter, not harder!

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  toughnickel.com

  Surviving Process Improvement Initiatives

  8 months ago

  Here are some guiding principles for change agents that will help make your process improvement initiatives reliably successful. Change smarter, not harder!

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  turbofuture.com

  Effective Merging Using Git

  3 months ago

  Git has become the version control system of choice for most software developers, but do we really understand it well enough to use it effectively? You may be your own worst enemy and don't know it.

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  Project Management

  The Magic of Agile Swarming

  2 years ago

  Does your organization seem to take much longer than it should to get things done? You balloon up your organization and it doesn't seem to get any better. What's the problem, and how do we solve it?

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  Computer Science & Programming

  How to Improve Software Organizations

  2 years ago

  There are all kinds of things we could change in our software development organizations, but what changes will actually help our companies succeed? How do we actually move the needle forward?

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  Project Management

  Making Accurate Software Project Estimates

  2 years ago

  Have you ever been on a software project that went over budget? For a lot of us, it was a recent event. Clearly we're not alone. Why is estimation such a struggle, and what can we do about it?

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  toughnickel.com

  5 Common Leadership Anti-Patterns

  8 months ago

  Becoming a manager can be easy; becoming a leader is more complicated. Let's look at some common leadership anti-patterns (examples of what not to do) in an effort to avoid the common pitfalls.

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  Computer Science & Programming

  Measuring the Effectiveness of Leaders and Managers

  2 years ago

  Getting a bunch of humans to move in the same direction to accomplish a goal is not as easy as it may seem. How do you know that your leaders are doing their jobs effectively?