https://www.fredpope.com/blog Builder and investor in Colorado. Exploring the connections between software, business, and economics. Writing to think. en-us fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://www.fredpope.com/blog/documentation/art-of-efficient-documentation https://www.fredpope.com/blog/documentation/art-of-efficient-documentation Documentation is a double-edged sword. While it provides essential guidance and clarity, it's also a costly endeavor that can drain resources if not managed wisely. Learn what to document, what to skip, and how to make strategic documentation decisions. Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) documentationbest-practicesdevelopmentteam-culture https://www.fredpope.com/blog/documentation/beyond-the-bullets https://www.fredpope.com/blog/documentation/beyond-the-bullets Discover why bullet points alone aren't enough for effective presentations and how pairing your deck with a detailed memo and interactive data can transform your communication strategy. Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) documentationpresentationsproductivitybest-practices https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/beyond-the-code-unsung-skills https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/beyond-the-code-unsung-skills Writing code is just one piece of the puzzle. The true craft of software engineering lies in change logs, ADRs, post-deployment cleanup, test maintenance, and disaster recovery strategies that distinguish senior developers. Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) developmentsenior-developerbest-practicesarchitecturetestingdeployment https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/enduring-craft-software-fundamentals-ai https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/enduring-craft-software-fundamentals-ai Exploring why core software engineering principles like design, testing, and maintainability are becoming even more critical for managing complexity and risk in the age of AI-powered code generation. Sun, 13 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) software engineeringfundamentalsaibest practicestechnical debtcode quality https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/fear-of-friday-deploys https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/fear-of-friday-deploys Why shipping frequently beats perfect architecture every time, and how the right engineering foundations make aggressive deployment a competitive advantage. Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) engineeringvelocitydeploymentbest-practices https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/the-90-percent-mindset https://www.fredpope.com/blog/development/the-90-percent-mindset Building software is maybe 10% of the job. The other 90% is living with what you built. Senior developers understand this—and it changes how they write every line of code. Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) developmentcareersoftware-engineeringbest-practices https://www.fredpope.com/blog/lean-strategy/geeks-guide-to-startup-code-smells https://www.fredpope.com/blog/lean-strategy/geeks-guide-to-startup-code-smells Applying software engineering principles to company building. Just as code has "smells" that indicate underlying problems, startups have organizational smells that can lead to failure if left unchecked. Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT fred@fredpope.com (Fred Pope) lean-strategystartupsengineeringorganizationbest-practicesscaling