01/22/2026 - When Off-the-Shelf Is Absolutely the Wrong Choice (Even If It Looks Cheaper Today)
Off-the-shelf tools look cheaper at first, but can limit growth and efficiency. Discover when custom software is the smarter long-term choice.
12/10/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 3 - The Essentials Every Leader Should Know
Discover the key principles of software ROI forecasting. A concise guide for leaders who need clarity without technical complexity.
12/02/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 2 - Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf
Learn how fit, adaptability, and control change the ROI equation. Real-world scenarios reveal why custom often delivers more value.
11/20/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 1 - A Practical Framework
Learn how to build credible, risk-aware software ROI forecasts with multi-driver models, ranges, and confidence factors.
11/07/2025 - From Chaos to Control: Moving from Spreadsheets to FileMaker
This article talks about the need for startups to move from managing their business on spreadsheet to a more secure system like Claris FileMaker.
10/29/2025 - Reducing Your Risk of Change Through Thoughtful, Incremental Improvement
This article explores how businesses can reduce the risk of change by embracing a mindset of continuous, incremental improvement. It highlights the dangers of stagnation, the pitfalls of sweeping transformation, and the strategic advantage of custom software in enabling agile, low-risk progress.
10/14/2025 - AI-Washing: The New Greenwashing in Software
AI-washing is the new greenwashing. Learn why labeling automation as 'AI-powered' creates confusion and FOMO, and how to choose the right mix of AI and automation for real business value.
10/2/2025 - From Keywords to Meaning: How AI Powers Semantic Searches
Semantic Searches are one of the key features of AI. This post describes what Semantic Searches are and some the key concepts of how it works and its advantages over keyword search.
9/18/2025 - Clean Code: Mindset Over Dogma
This article explores the recent criticism of clean code and offers a developer's perspective on why clean code is not dogma but a mindset. It argues that clean code principles, when applied thoughtfully, lead to more maintainable and collaborative software. The post emphasizes the importance of clean code in enterprise environments and encourages developers to embrace the mindset to become more valuable contributors.
9/12/2025 - Don't Trust the Docs: Why API Documentation is Often Just Marketing
API documentation often hides flaws behind polished examples. Learn why it's marketing material and how to vet APIs before committing.
9/9/2025 - Using Global Fields in Claris FileMaker: A Powerful Tool for Context-Free Data Access
A blog post about Claris Global Fields and their advantages over Global Variables and how they can be used to simply layout design and database relationships.
8/10/2025 - Clean Code: Write Code That Explains Itself
This article explores the principles of self-documenting code, focusing on clear naming conventions and method extraction to improve readability and maintainability. It includes practical C# examples, guidance on when comments are appropriate, and a real-world case study illustrating the cost of poor naming in legacy systems. Written by Andrew Anderson, President of Latitude 40, the post emphasizes clean code as a foundation for sustainable Agile software delivery.
7/2/2025 - Forget Hybrids: Agile Didn't Need Fixing
This blog post explores the pitfalls of hybrid Agile frameworks and makes the case for returning to the fundamentals—Scrum and Kanban. It highlights common misapplications, organizational challenges, and how experienced teams evolve their practices to fit real-world needs.
6/30/2025 - Clean Code: The Strategy Pattern in C#
This article explores how the Strategy Pattern in C# can be used to improve code maintainability and support business agility. Through a real-world pricing scenario, it demonstrates how to refactor procedural logic into modular strategies using dependency injection and clean architecture principles.
6/3/2025 - The Agile Journey: From Scrum to Kanban and Beyond
Scrum is the perfect starting point for Agile teams—but most evolve into Kanban. Learn what Scrum teaches through experience and why Kanban is the natural next step for mature Agile teams.
4/16/2025 - Ten Years Later: Agile Is Still Delivering
A decade after writing about Scrum meetings, the core Agile mindset—adaptability, transparency, and continuous improvement—remains as relevant as ever. Discover why Scrum and Kanban still lead the way.
3/5/2025 - Custom Software: The Only Way To Maintain Long-Term Control
Discover the primary reason why custom software might be the superior choice over off-the-shelf solutions. Learn how it empowers you to maintain long-term control of your business and stay flexible as you grow.
2/8/2025 - Why Offshoring Fails
Learn about why off-shoring your development is likely to fail and what the alternative is that will provide a much higher quality product and experience.
5/18/2020 - Optimizing Development Teams for Project Success
Discover why adding more developers doesn't always speed up your project due to the law of diminishing returns and increased overhead. Learn how to balance team size for efficiency, avoid potential pitfalls, and ensure quality by creating small cross-functional teams. Explore strategies for both small and large projects, and understand the importance of optimal team sizes in agile development.
8/3/2016 - On Things Packaged: Presidents and Software
Packaged software, like packaged candidates, rarely fits just right. This post explores the value of custom software by comparing it to the idea of designing your ideal presidential candidate—and why settling for off-the-shelf solutions might cost more in the long run.
6/29/2015 - Agile Retrospectives: A Framework for Continuous Team Growth
Agile retrospectives are a powerful tool for continuous team growth. This post explores how structured reflection, psychological safety, and thoughtful facilitation help teams improve collaboration, adapt processes, and deliver better outcomes.
6/24/2015 - Sprint Review: Collaborating to Shape the Product
Sprint Reviews are collaborative checkpoints in Scrum where teams and stakeholders inspect the product increment, gather feedback, and adapt the backlog. This post explores how effective reviews drive alignment, transparency, and value delivery.
6/19/2015 - Daily Scrum: Aligning Every Day for Success
The Daily Scrum is a short, focused meeting that helps Agile teams align, share progress, and remove blockers. This post explains its purpose, format, and tips for making it an effective daily habit.
6/16/2015 - Sprint Planning: Setting the Stage for a Successful Sprint
Sprint Planning sets the foundation for a successful sprint by aligning the Scrum Team on goals, priorities, and execution. This post outlines the purpose, structure, and facilitation tips for effective planning.
6/11/2015 - Backlog Refinement: Keeping the Product Backlog Ready for Action
Backlog Refinement keeps the Product Backlog clear, prioritized, and ready for Sprint Planning. This post explains how regular refinement improves forecasting, team alignment, and delivery confidence in Agile environments.
5/23/2015 - I have a couple thoughts... CQRS and custom development
This post explores how CQRS architecture and custom software development empower businesses to scale, optimize performance, and gain deeper insights—making advanced solutions accessible beyond enterprise budgets.
9/29/2014 - Custom developed software - what's the big deal...
This post explores the value of custom software development versus packaged solutions, highlighting how tailored applications can reduce total cost of ownership and better support evolving business needs.
7/13/2014 - Declaring your independence from packaged software
This post highlights the importance of owning your custom software—covering intellectual property, maintainable code, and training—to ensure long-term independence and flexibility for your business.
6/19/2014 - Know your TCO - or why is ROI out of style
This post compares ROI and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in software decisions, showing how custom development can offer long-term value over packaged solutions with hidden costs and ongoing fees.
Off-the-shelf tools look cheaper at first, but can limit growth and efficiency. Discover when custom software is the smarter long-term choice.
12/10/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 3 - The Essentials Every Leader Should Know
Discover the key principles of software ROI forecasting. A concise guide for leaders who need clarity without technical complexity.
12/02/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 2 - Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf
Learn how fit, adaptability, and control change the ROI equation. Real-world scenarios reveal why custom often delivers more value.
11/20/2025 - Forecasting Software ROI: Part 1 - A Practical Framework
Learn how to build credible, risk-aware software ROI forecasts with multi-driver models, ranges, and confidence factors.
11/07/2025 - From Chaos to Control: Moving from Spreadsheets to FileMaker
This article talks about the need for startups to move from managing their business on spreadsheet to a more secure system like Claris FileMaker.
10/29/2025 - Reducing Your Risk of Change Through Thoughtful, Incremental Improvement
This article explores how businesses can reduce the risk of change by embracing a mindset of continuous, incremental improvement. It highlights the dangers of stagnation, the pitfalls of sweeping transformation, and the strategic advantage of custom software in enabling agile, low-risk progress.
10/14/2025 - AI-Washing: The New Greenwashing in Software
AI-washing is the new greenwashing. Learn why labeling automation as 'AI-powered' creates confusion and FOMO, and how to choose the right mix of AI and automation for real business value.
10/2/2025 - From Keywords to Meaning: How AI Powers Semantic Searches
Semantic Searches are one of the key features of AI. This post describes what Semantic Searches are and some the key concepts of how it works and its advantages over keyword search.
9/18/2025 - Clean Code: Mindset Over Dogma
This article explores the recent criticism of clean code and offers a developer's perspective on why clean code is not dogma but a mindset. It argues that clean code principles, when applied thoughtfully, lead to more maintainable and collaborative software. The post emphasizes the importance of clean code in enterprise environments and encourages developers to embrace the mindset to become more valuable contributors.
9/12/2025 - Don't Trust the Docs: Why API Documentation is Often Just Marketing
API documentation often hides flaws behind polished examples. Learn why it's marketing material and how to vet APIs before committing.
9/9/2025 - Using Global Fields in Claris FileMaker: A Powerful Tool for Context-Free Data Access
A blog post about Claris Global Fields and their advantages over Global Variables and how they can be used to simply layout design and database relationships.
8/10/2025 - Clean Code: Write Code That Explains Itself
This article explores the principles of self-documenting code, focusing on clear naming conventions and method extraction to improve readability and maintainability. It includes practical C# examples, guidance on when comments are appropriate, and a real-world case study illustrating the cost of poor naming in legacy systems. Written by Andrew Anderson, President of Latitude 40, the post emphasizes clean code as a foundation for sustainable Agile software delivery.
7/2/2025 - Forget Hybrids: Agile Didn't Need Fixing
This blog post explores the pitfalls of hybrid Agile frameworks and makes the case for returning to the fundamentals—Scrum and Kanban. It highlights common misapplications, organizational challenges, and how experienced teams evolve their practices to fit real-world needs.
6/30/2025 - Clean Code: The Strategy Pattern in C#
This article explores how the Strategy Pattern in C# can be used to improve code maintainability and support business agility. Through a real-world pricing scenario, it demonstrates how to refactor procedural logic into modular strategies using dependency injection and clean architecture principles.
6/3/2025 - The Agile Journey: From Scrum to Kanban and Beyond
Scrum is the perfect starting point for Agile teams—but most evolve into Kanban. Learn what Scrum teaches through experience and why Kanban is the natural next step for mature Agile teams.
4/16/2025 - Ten Years Later: Agile Is Still Delivering
A decade after writing about Scrum meetings, the core Agile mindset—adaptability, transparency, and continuous improvement—remains as relevant as ever. Discover why Scrum and Kanban still lead the way.
3/5/2025 - Custom Software: The Only Way To Maintain Long-Term Control
Discover the primary reason why custom software might be the superior choice over off-the-shelf solutions. Learn how it empowers you to maintain long-term control of your business and stay flexible as you grow.
2/8/2025 - Why Offshoring Fails
Learn about why off-shoring your development is likely to fail and what the alternative is that will provide a much higher quality product and experience.
5/18/2020 - Optimizing Development Teams for Project Success
Discover why adding more developers doesn't always speed up your project due to the law of diminishing returns and increased overhead. Learn how to balance team size for efficiency, avoid potential pitfalls, and ensure quality by creating small cross-functional teams. Explore strategies for both small and large projects, and understand the importance of optimal team sizes in agile development.
8/3/2016 - On Things Packaged: Presidents and Software
Packaged software, like packaged candidates, rarely fits just right. This post explores the value of custom software by comparing it to the idea of designing your ideal presidential candidate—and why settling for off-the-shelf solutions might cost more in the long run.
6/29/2015 - Agile Retrospectives: A Framework for Continuous Team Growth
Agile retrospectives are a powerful tool for continuous team growth. This post explores how structured reflection, psychological safety, and thoughtful facilitation help teams improve collaboration, adapt processes, and deliver better outcomes.
6/24/2015 - Sprint Review: Collaborating to Shape the Product
Sprint Reviews are collaborative checkpoints in Scrum where teams and stakeholders inspect the product increment, gather feedback, and adapt the backlog. This post explores how effective reviews drive alignment, transparency, and value delivery.
6/19/2015 - Daily Scrum: Aligning Every Day for Success
The Daily Scrum is a short, focused meeting that helps Agile teams align, share progress, and remove blockers. This post explains its purpose, format, and tips for making it an effective daily habit.
6/16/2015 - Sprint Planning: Setting the Stage for a Successful Sprint
Sprint Planning sets the foundation for a successful sprint by aligning the Scrum Team on goals, priorities, and execution. This post outlines the purpose, structure, and facilitation tips for effective planning.
6/11/2015 - Backlog Refinement: Keeping the Product Backlog Ready for Action
Backlog Refinement keeps the Product Backlog clear, prioritized, and ready for Sprint Planning. This post explains how regular refinement improves forecasting, team alignment, and delivery confidence in Agile environments.
5/23/2015 - I have a couple thoughts... CQRS and custom development
This post explores how CQRS architecture and custom software development empower businesses to scale, optimize performance, and gain deeper insights—making advanced solutions accessible beyond enterprise budgets.
9/29/2014 - Custom developed software - what's the big deal...
This post explores the value of custom software development versus packaged solutions, highlighting how tailored applications can reduce total cost of ownership and better support evolving business needs.
7/13/2014 - Declaring your independence from packaged software
This post highlights the importance of owning your custom software—covering intellectual property, maintainable code, and training—to ensure long-term independence and flexibility for your business.
6/19/2014 - Know your TCO - or why is ROI out of style
This post compares ROI and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in software decisions, showing how custom development can offer long-term value over packaged solutions with hidden costs and ongoing fees.
