Monologue

1 00:00:02,969 --> 00:11,049 in a regular company, most of the companies uh as a whole market if you take, the majority are regular.

2 00:11,949 --> 00:15,039 Uh a big chunk.

3 00:16,219 --> 00:20,019 when I say regular, uh it also characterized by

4 00:36,199 --> 00:46,279 legacy. Legacy in uh software industry has a negative connotation.

5 00:47,449 --> 01:01,849 So the regular companies or legacy companies has a legacy process uh that's uh brings friction

6 01:02,239 --> 01:08,099 to uh any change uh or any improvements.

7 01:10,039 --> 01:18,179 So I in these companies, what often happens to me the discussion is

8 01:18,919 --> 01:23,559 when I introduce uh industry best practices,

9 01:24,269 --> 01:33,839 like um pair programming, test driven development, unit testing, acceptance testing.

10 01:34,719 --> 01:44,799 or merely when we actually program, uh like the way of thinking when I describe and try this way,

11 01:45,109 --> 01:54,349 everybody most of the people try to say, Anand, that's your way of thinking, this is my way of thinking, kind of argument.

12 01:57,209 --> 02:04,269 Uh, they don't they want to stick to their comfort zone. They don't want to learn uh anything new.

13 02:05,949 --> 02:13,269 Uh the the highlight is it's a industry standard best practices.

14 02:14,489 --> 02:16,779 So there is no argument.

15 02:17,809 --> 02:35,599 And if it's the higher level, higher management, uh leadership, uh when they tell, it's the same thing, but the way they tell uh they think I am a naive uh child, um doesn't know much of the organization function.

16 02:35,929 --> 02:41,209 We run this company for 20 years and what is he trying to uh tell us

17 02:42,289 --> 02:50,119 what we were doing or what we were and what we are doing uh is wrong but it's not quite sensible.

18 03:15,084 --> 03:22,174 So the the thought process, I think I missed a bit. Uh I'll come back.

19 03:23,384 --> 03:36,444 The uh we do not objectively uh see the differences. just uh

20 03:38,474 --> 03:46,224 uh a protection layer rejects uh the change.

21 03:47,384 --> 03:48,934 Any change.

22 03:53,094 --> 04:00,744 the system itself is well armed to uh reject the any change.

23 04:15,618 --> 04:27,518 And most of these legacy process systems exist in large organizations, enterprises,

24 04:28,318 --> 04:36,818 where department uh can operate or allowed to operate in uh isolation, not mainstream.

25 04:37,458 --> 04:48,878 especially if they are uh function is not a uh direct revenue maker and they found a way to uh get funded.

26 04:49,768 --> 04:53,498 it's often go unchecked.

27 04:54,778 --> 05:05,538 The incentive uh system does not encourage uh them to improve them adequately.

28 05:12,912 --> 05:19,252 So it's like large enterprises, uh departments in large enterprises.

29 05:19,252 --> 05:29,202 There are other department, they will be uh in fast pace in power with the uh best practices followed by the industry, but

30 05:29,822 --> 05:37,292 uh there will be uh parts of the company uh well secured in funding.

31 05:37,672 --> 05:42,652 So they don't need to uh improve.

32 05:43,762 --> 05:50,062 That's it's some privileged, some uh some form of they attain some form of privilege.

33 05:50,672 --> 05:57,802 Uh so they can they can defer things um technically practically indefinitely.

34 05:58,402 --> 06:05,732 And eventually those are the departments brings the uh the whole company down.

35 06:06,662 --> 06:21,802 Uh, it's uh you you can take Kodak, you can take uh Nokia. There are enough evidence how these uh affect impact in uh long term.

36 06:21,802 --> 06:29,192 It's uh compartmentalized and isolated. They start to operate on.

37 06:30,072 --> 06:44,052 Uh so another active department if is found anything new and that can uh contribute to the survival of the company, still would not be able to do it because

38 06:44,572 --> 06:54,302 uh another department working in uh in isolation and they are not agreeing with the to do go with the change.

39 07:04,785 --> 07:12,285 So, so if it's so two categories is also the leadership, management and then technical uh peers.

40 07:13,295 --> 07:21,395 Uh their attitude is as exactly rejecting what they do or they continue to want to do.

41 07:21,705 --> 07:34,325 So to be precise what exactly in the peers case, they uh there is something called knowledge transfer. Uh or even by when they do pair programming,

42 07:35,565 --> 07:42,285 uh not really it's works as a team member. It's like uh uh teacher to the

43 07:43,625 --> 07:50,335 relationship like so one person always doing to the another person uh really contributing

44 07:50,815 --> 07:54,585 like what it's actually supposed to.

45 07:55,605 --> 08:04,115 Uh it's like taking notes. Okay, this is the line number and this is the uh this line number, this is the and they take note.

46 08:04,635 --> 08:16,115 And eventually when I work uh on my own, then I go and change uh the architecture structure that is what necessary to improve the quality of the system.

47 08:16,845 --> 08:21,205 Uh and then they compare, Anand, you have changed everything, how would I know?

48 08:21,695 --> 08:28,405 Because you need to always go read the code, check the SVN or Git history.

49 08:28,915 --> 08:33,395 Uh that's the way you learn things. You need to understand the structure.

50 08:33,655 --> 08:43,515 So there is uh like if it's a church, there is a main entrance and or altar and so on.

51 08:43,515 --> 08:49,435 So there is a structure for any software architecture, it has such something.

52 08:49,765 --> 09:04,185 So you need you should be able to identify those uh uh structures and then uh read the parts necessary uh for the problem uh you are going to address.

53 09:04,735 --> 09:06,375 People doesn't do that.

54 09:06,635 --> 09:11,365 So they have their own notebook, memorizing.

55 09:11,925 --> 09:18,485 It's quite uh interesting. It's it's like the chauffer's knowledge.

56 09:19,855 --> 09:30,285 Uh but what is in very contrasting uh evidence is in a planning meeting or any uh

57 09:31,685 --> 09:34,065 the usual team meetings,

58 09:35,225 --> 09:40,845 uh people want to give their opinion, the people want to be heard.

59 09:41,545 --> 09:44,025 Uh it's very human thing.

60 09:46,805 --> 09:59,105 But we should know the context. We should have the uh necessary uh background information.

61 09:59,575 --> 10:07,375 to make a comment. You can't arbitrarily do anything. So people in these legacy system people often

62 10:08,255 --> 10:10,955 uh do that.

63 10:12,305 --> 10:22,575 They they want to want their voice to be heard, but they don't not they do not do the homework.

64 10:25,055 --> 10:34,225 totally unrealistic, unrelated things, uh they speak and they demand for.

65 10:34,805 --> 10:44,305 Uh at the same time, when a serious problem comes and comes, uh people actually uh turn to um

66 10:44,975 --> 10:48,305 they don't even say uh I don't know when

67 10:48,775 --> 10:53,425 they themselves what they know, they don't know, uh they don't say.

68 10:53,885 --> 10:56,795 They say, oh, that's Anand knows.

69 10:57,485 --> 10:58,605 right?

70 11:00,565 --> 11:15,755 But so on one time you say Anand knows and another time you say you know something and you want to give your input to be heard.

71 11:18,295 --> 11:23,945 So, so this is the symptom. This is the uh code smelling.

72 11:24,845 --> 11:31,595 And the these or those who say this way, act this way,

73 11:32,045 --> 11:45,565 actually, uh uh right, whenever there's a learning time or any initiative and they take would take notes

74 11:46,125 --> 11:51,965 in in a written form, sentence by sentence, line number, taking line number notes.

75 11:53,395 --> 12:05,375 Are these often these are the people say, uh we don't have time or uh we have a higher priority task.

76 12:06,455 --> 12:15,775 Uh that they will always uh feel a sense of urgency.

77 12:17,545 --> 12:24,085 I think that quite a lot of characteristics. There are 90 of classifications.

78 12:24,535 --> 12:34,915 Uh there's a book called um adrenaline junkies uh and uh template zombies.

79 12:37,295 --> 12:47,155 Uh so you can observe both actually in and this is there is a sense of urgency, uh as well as they can't really

80 12:47,885 --> 12:59,315 make any uh decision. There's mostly chauffer's knowledge like the turn to Anand. Anand knows things, Anand what to do, what to do that, what to do here.

81 12:59,965 --> 13:06,445 And then they just uh repeat it to another person.

82 13:07,315 --> 13:10,315 Uh and felt they have done the job.

83 13:10,695 --> 13:20,085 It's just the chauffer's knowledge. Uh they can't do uh contribute much value.

84 13:25,830 --> 13:32,230 So again go to management and leadership side. So when they want to decide, uh

85 13:32,970 --> 13:45,020 if the technical matters necessary simplified to a level necessity, uh they don't still understand.

86 13:46,090 --> 13:56,310 And some of the chauffer's knowledge guy uh usually uh translate and

87 13:57,000 --> 14:10,230 what he actually does is remove uh necessary information to make decision, remove the essential complexity uh and uh

88 14:11,360 --> 14:20,830 say it again, but so that the uh manager or the senior leadership understand it.

89 14:22,810 --> 14:24,420 feel understand.

90 14:25,320 --> 14:38,100 But let's say if you had to understand uh quantum physics uh to a level to contribute to quantum physics or apply quantum physics,

91 14:38,620 --> 14:51,130 uh you need to get to a uh higher complex level. You should expand your knowledge and uh understand it.

92 14:52,650 --> 14:59,730 Uh you can also say you can like you should be able to explain to a two year old.

93 15:00,320 --> 15:01,840 uh five year old.

94 15:03,180 --> 15:11,100 What you expect from five year old is not to make decisions on quantum physics. It's just to uh

95 15:11,610 --> 15:20,530 trigger curiosity, so eventually they learn all the complexities and eventually come for contribute to the field.

96 15:20,530 --> 15:32,410 But if you are today making a decision, uh five year old understanding unnecessary.

97 15:33,390 --> 15:35,630 does does not help.

98 15:38,790 --> 15:40,290 So these are the things.

99 15:40,290 --> 15:55,590 If you want to decide on a specific topic, you must know essential details of the topic.

100 15:56,690 --> 16:00,240 You can't skip. You can't work around.

101 16:00,770 --> 16:03,130 You should know how to manage.

102 16:03,670 --> 16:14,240 What are the constrains, what are the controls, what are the measurements or what measurements I can have to measure progress.

103 16:15,070 --> 16:22,170 uh without all these uh it doesn't work.

104 16:24,800 --> 16:31,640 So the main characteristic that trying to explain is such chauffer's knowledge.

105 16:33,180 --> 16:35,320 It's quite the problem.

106 16:41,926 --> 16:47,386 in a legacy uh environment,

107 16:48,396 --> 17:02,746 these uh all the new topics, concepts are actually uh chauffe's knowledge. They don't have a deep uh understanding.

108 17:02,746 --> 17:18,346 Take uh Agile, DevOps, uh cloud, uh CI/CD, anything is they just know at the surface level, just the words.

109 17:25,326 --> 17:36,756 can't uh have they don't have enough uh details to make uh decision.