Shortcut: How to Add Value With Cross-Functional Teams

https://medium.com/@_chelleshock/how-to-add-value-with-cross-functional-teams-d7578a84013e

Continuous Delivery, not Continuous Deployment

Engineering teams like Etsy's have popularized the idea of continuous deployment: infrastructure that automatically rolls-out newly minted code to production in a safe and gradual manner. In Lean Startup and Web Operations, Eric Ries explains the rationale behind continuous deployment: making a safe habit out of shipping product. I loved the motive, but it was clear that … Continue reading Continuous Delivery, not Continuous Deployment →

Google Analytics Crash Course Notes

Thinking that you will adequately learn Google Analytics by clicking around the product, even over years, is a foolish concept. You will only understand a subset of its features and how they work together. You need to do your homework. I cannot improve upon Google Analytics' (GA) own crash course, titled Google Analytics IQ Lessons. … Continue reading Google Analytics Crash Course Notes →

Team Debt

I'm currently having a blast leading the technical team behind the LivingSocial Takeout & Delivery web site. One of the challenges of a growing team is maintaining appropriate amounts of communication. You want everyone to know everything that's important, but not everything. Otherwise, you end up being a case study in The Mythical Man Month. Although … Continue reading Team Debt →

My Startup Lesson Learned

A few years ago, I quit my job to build a bootstrapped startup called SandwichBoard--a content management system for restaurants. Patrick Joyce and I put $5,000 into the business and made a leap of faith to live off savings and occasional consulting gigs. After we got the sales routine down, we were growing at a steady pace, … Continue reading My Startup Lesson Learned →