Software People Stories PM Power Consulting

My guest today is Mike Bowers, Chief architect at FairCom. We had a very interesting conversation that we decided to publish in two parts. In the first part of the conversation , MIke shares his career path and his perspective on how to approach software development. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer's needs and designing systems that are flexible and scalable. He also discusses the importance of data in software development and his experience working with different data models.
Here are the key points from the conversation:
Mike started programming at a young age and has been passionate about it ever since.He has a PhD in music theory and sees connections between music and software development, particularly in terms of patterns.As an architect, he focuses on designing systems that are flexible, scalable, and meet the needs of the customer.He believes that data is a crucial part of software development and that understanding data is essential for building good systems.He has experience working with different data models, including relational databases and JSON.Mike Bowers is the Chief Architect at FairCom with over 35 years of experience in software development and architecture. As the driving force behind FairCom's architecture and product roadmaps, Mike specializes in high-performance NoSQL and SQL databases, IIoT platforms, and legacy system modernization solutions. His wealth of knowledge extends to topics like database revolution, manufacturing 4.0, IIoT, edge computing, and data integration. With a deep understanding of the tech landscape, he actively contributes to the development of industry standards through his membership in the INCITS technical committee, focusing on SQL and GQL. Mike's insights resonate particularly well with audiences comprising CEOs, IT managers, software architects, software engineers, and controls engineers.

In this conversation with Ms. Vijayashree CTO - Shikshalokam | Director- Onlineengineer Inc. she talks about her career trajectory and how she approaches technical challenges. Here are the key points:
Vijayashree accidentally ended up in computer science after wanting to study electronics engineering.She has a passion for system software design and coding.She transitioned from a services role to a product role to focus more on the technical aspects.She believes in balancing the technical aspects with user needs and understanding the business domain.She uses a collaborative approach to design, involving the team and getting their buy-in on ideas.She acknowledges the need for analysis and design but also emphasizes the importance of getting things into production quickly using Agile methodologies.When making decisions about new technologies, she weighs the risks and benefits, using proven patterns for critical areas but also taking calculated risks to experiment with new ideas.She communicates the importance of non-functional requirements to her team and integrates them into the design process to ensure scalability, reliability, and maintainability.Vijayashree talks about the challenges and the transition from working in the commercial sector to the social sector.
Key takeaways for designing for the social sector:
Users might not have the technical expertise and may have limited internet connectivity.The solutions should be designed for a wider range of devices including low-end smartphones.Multiple languages and possibly voice interfaces should be considered.There might be a need to focus on offline functionality as well.Metrics for success in the social sector:
Adoption rate of the software by other organizations.User feedback and the resulting improvements made to the software.The impact of the software on the beneficiaries.There are also a few interesting career advices by her

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayashree-urs/

Today, my guest is Shekhar Chandra - the Global Practice Head at Irs Software Inc.
Here are the key themes from the conversation: 
Shekhar initially disliked sales because he is more of an introvert. However, he was eased into the role by his company and his technical background helped him gain the confidence to sell because he understood the product.Building a brand: Shekhar highlights the importance of building a brand for oneself, especially when venturing into entrepreneurship.Shekhar talks about the concept of building practices within a company to focus on specific areas of expertise.Shekhar emphasizes the importance of trying new things and learning from failures.Shekhar highlights the need for salespeople to have a good understanding of the technical aspects of the product or service they are selling.Shekhar then talks about the challenges faced by Indian companies trying to take their products global.Marketing is crucial: Building a good product is not enough. Companies need to focus on marketing and building alliances with other companies to be successful in the global market.Shekhar describes three different methods for partnering with other companies:Highlights some challenges faced by Indian companies when they try to take their products global. Shekhar also offers his advice for people in two different career stages:Mid-life career crisis:Late career:Shekhar Chandra - aka SC Shekar is the global practice head at Iris Software Inc. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shekhar-chandra-740953/

Shiv our host is in conversation with Harpreet SIngh, CO-founder and co-CEO of Launchale Inc. Harpreet has been associated with conceiving and launching many innovative products that have become a standard among developer community. 
In today's conversation he talks about
How he started his career in India and then moved to the US. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. He mentions his growth mindset and his habit of reading and taking courses to stay updated.Harpreet acknowledges the challenge of scaling himself as a leader alongside the company. He talks about managing time for both work and personal growth. He highlights the importance of clear communication and context setting to empower his team and free up his time. He also mentions using a prioritization technique where he identifies the top three important tasks for both work and personal life. Harpreet acknowledges the resistance developers often have towards documentation. He discusses how he built his team by looking for individuals who value clear communication and writing skills. He describes how he identified a niche in the developer experience (DevEx) domain. He noticed that even after implementing CI/CD practices, companies weren't seeing the desired benefits quickly enough. This led him to explore how AI and machine learning could improve software delivery pipelines.Launchable's product uses machine learning to predict which tests are likely to fail based on code changes. Launchable is now expanding its offering to include intelligent test failure diagnostics using AI and machine learning.Harpreet acknowledges that coding style can influence the likelihood of errors. Launchable considers this to some extent, but the focus is on broader patterns and historical data to predict test failures.He emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning for personal and professional growth.He also talks about careers in testing and tech in general: 
Harpreet is an entrepreneur, innovator, developer, and creative product leader who has dedicated his life to building new solutions for software teams. His latest iteration is Launchable Inc, an AI/ML company to help developers and QA. A seasoned DevOps leader, Harpreet has been building products for developers for the last 25+ years.
Previously, he was GM for Atlassian Bitbucket and VP of Product at CloudBees. At CloudBees he helped create the Jenkins business that scaled to multi-millions in ARR.
He has an MBA from Santa Clara University, an MS in CS from the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelors in Computer Engineering from Pune University, India.

Today, my guest is Vinaya Mallya, is a seasoned IT professional, who has played leadership roles in the corporate sector, then was an entrepreneur building a team and moving on to create solutions to impact the social sector.
In this conversation, :
Vinaya shares her career path, including experiences in corporate IT, startups, and the social sector.Early Career in IT
Vinaya's original plan was to study civil engineering, but her principal encouraged her to switch to computer science due to her gender.Despite initial challenges and limited practical experience, a project in COBOL sparked her interest in software development.Her husband, an IT engineer, encouraged her to pursue a career in the field.Finding Passion at Infosys
After getting married, Vinaya joined Infosys despite initial reservations.The initial training period was difficult, but the collaborative work environment with diverse teams motivated her.She discovered her passion for problem-solving, particularly collective problem-solving in a team setting.Work-Life Balance Challenges
Marrying young and having a demanding job at Infosys presented work-life balance challenges.Her supportive in-laws and husband, who encouraged her to focus on her career for the first five years, helped manage the situation.Traveling abroad for work required additional compromises to maintain family harmony.Leaving Infosys and Starting a Startup
Inspired by her father's entrepreneurial spirit, Vinaya dreamt of creating jobs someday.After 11 years at Infosys, the need to care for her children and the distance from her husband in Malaysia led to her resignation.Her mother's strong words about the impact on their children became a turning point.Starting an Animation Franchise
Taking a break from corporate life, Vinaya explored franchise opportunitiesAnimation, a growing field, emerged as the final choice, and she started a franchise of an animation institute.While the business didn't generate significant profit, Vinaya takes pride in providing a platform for young talent to launch their careers.Work in the Social Sector
Vinaya's entry into the social sector was accidental. Initially, she volunteered one day a week, but her time commitment gradually increased to five days a week.The transition from corporate IT to the social sector required adjustments. Vinaya had to learn to appreciate the value of creative solutions and a less structured work environment.She also enjoyed building a team of all women who could relate to the challenges faced by the target population.Challenges of an All-Women Team
Vinaya acknowledges that managing an all-women team has its challenges, such as difficulty with travel and limited budget.However, she believes the team's ability to connect with the target population is a significant benefit.Career Advice
For Early Career Professionals: Vinaya recommends new graduates invest five years in their careers, being open to learning new skills and flexible in their work approach.For Mid-Career Professionals: She acknowledges that some individuals may need to decelerate their careers at a certain point due to life circumstances. However, Vinaya emphasizes the possibility of re-entering the workforce or even transitioning to a new field altogether.After 10 years of experience, Vinaya suggests that professionals consider how they can "give back" to their field or community.Overall
Vinaya's career path demonstrates the value of flexibility and lifelong learning.Her experiences highlight the opportunities for women in both the IT sector and the social sector.Vinaya has close to 24 years of varied experience in the IT services industry, and more recently in the social sector. She started her career with Infosys, where she spent a decade amassing technical knowledge and honing her management and customer relationship skills. During her stint in Infosys, she got the opportunity to work in different geographical cultures spanning America, Europe & Asia. During the phase of moth

Today, my guest is Amita Ardha, an enterprise architect who has been focusing on sustainable development solutions.
In this conversation;
Amita started her career in engineering and transitioned to IT due to her interest in the "why" behindthe coding.
She realized the importance of understanding the business world and pursued an MBA with a focus onIT and software engineering.
She eventually became a certified Enterprise Architect but took a break to focus on personal goals andexplore sustainability.
This entrepreneurial experience involving a reuse studio helped her develop a broader understanding ofconnecting business with sustainability.
Currently, Amita works as a part-time Enterprise Architect and is involved in sustainability initiatives.Being a Woman in Tech
Amita acknowledges the challenges women face in tech but emphasizes focusing on the work andenjoying the journey.
She advises against attributing missed opportunities solely to gender and highlights the importance ofrecognizing individual journeys.
Amita encourages women to take breaks without guilt and to keep striving towards their goals.Sustainability in Computing
Amita views sustainability as a journey from finite to infinite resourcefulness.Focus on Achievable Goals and Resource EfficiencyAmita emphasizes using resources efficiently and highlights cloud computing as an example of improvedresource utilization.
She shares an example of identifying hygiene issues faced by sanitation workers and the potentialbenefit of providing antifungal cream.
She recommends offering online sessions like storytelling or technology workshops to contributeremotely.

You can see some of her work at https://www.instagram.com/bharatireusestudio/