Tech Insights

Building high performing software delivery teams starts with leadership. We reached out to successful tech executives and asked them to share their hard-earned wisdom around building high performing teams. We asked how they assess their teams’ health, evaluate performance, and, most importantly, what improvement plans they have, if necessary. Here’s what they said.

Design sprints are gaining popularity as an efficient way to investigate ideas and determine solutions for big problems facing small and large organizations alike. Using this methodology, a team of seven people can find a big challenge they need to tackle, identify a solution, build a prototype, and test it with real customers in just five days.

In this interview, Simon Hunt shares his experience as a design sprint facilitator. He has a background in software development and product management at Nokia, Microsoft, and BMW, and discusses how to put together a solid team, what roles people should play, and pitfalls to watch out for.

The Chicago-based Illinois Technology Association (ITA) recently announced the formation of a new AI council. Their mission is to advance programming, investment, and policy for AI technology. Patrick Emmons, owner of DragonSpears, is pleased to participate as a member of the AI Council Advisory Board to help guide ITA’s policies and advocacy related to AI and Machine Learning.

AWS Outposts allow businesses to run AWS infrastructure on-premises to improve the consistency of their hybrid cloud system. Businesses that use them can use the same tools, APIs, hardware, and functionality across both their on-premises and cloud systems to create a consistent hybrid user experience.

Here’s a quick overview of what AWS Outposts are, when to use them, and how they can benefit your organization.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the DevOps Enterprise Summit (DOES). While conferences tend to make me fearful of getting sucked into a big sales show, DOES restored my faith. Notably, it was extremely well-attended, impeccably run, and there was an elite cast of speakers throughout the event. From large talks to small group sessions, the event offered seemingly endless opportunities for interactive education.