Notes from the workbench.
Technology leadership, data readiness, applied AI, and production software notes from the people doing the work.
No trend-chasing. No innovation theater. Just the messy middle between technical ambition and systems that actually run.
19 posts
Made in Tandem Honored as Gold Stevie Award Winner in 2024 American Business Awards
Made in Tandem was named the Gold Stevie® Award winner in the Professional Services category in The 22nd Annual American Business Awards® today. The award recognizes Made in Tandem’s work to modernize San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)’s legacy Emergency Notification System (ENS). Used to noti
Revolutionizing Business Operations with Future-Fit Software
In an era brimming with vague buzzwords and lofty ambitions, companies are striving to devise solutions that not only satisfy but surpass customer expectations and improve the efficiency of operations. With the ever-expanding set of emerging technologies — big data, machine learning (ML), artificial
Tandem Named a 2023-2024 Cloud Award Winner
Tandem has been named a winner in the 2023-2024 Cloud Awards program in the category of Best Cloud Migration or Systems Integration Solution. The Cloud Awards has recognized and honored innovation in cloud computing since 2011, spanning diverse industry sectors and welcoming submissions from organiz
Evaluating a Microservice Architecture
Microservice architecture has been a hot topic in the realm of software development for a while now. It’s often portrayed as a revolutionary method for constructing software systems that are scalable, adaptable, and efficient. However, like any technology, it has its strengths and weaknesses.
Breaking Down Data Silos: Unleashing Your Company's Hidden Data Potential
The journey to data maturity begins with the recognition of the vast opportunities hidden within your organization’s data. Unlocking this potential requires a transformation in the way your organization accesses, analyzes, and utilizes data. Often, companies are held back by restrictive silo m
Choosing Between Contractors and Consultants: What’s the Best Decision?
The demand for software engineering expertise is growing exponentially, making the skills required ever-changing. With businesses increasingly relying on software solutions to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive innovation, the need for skilled software engineers has never
Becoming a More Resilient Software and Technology Organization
In today’s digital age, the resilience of software and technology is vital to the success of any business. Organizations must continuously adapt and prepare for potential disruptions and system failures. This post will explore ways to achieve greater resilience holistically and encourage a cul
Tandem Roundtable: Microservices Vs. Monolithic Architecture
What experience do you have with either microservices or monolithic architecture? Darcy: Most of my experience has been with monolithic architecture. I have a bit of experience with microservices at previous jobs, but most of that was with hybrid situations with legacy apps that followed monolithic
Tandem Honored as Gold Stevie Award Winner in 2023 American Business Awards
Tandem was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in two categories in The 21st Annual American Business Awards®. Within the App & Mobile Website awards categories, Tandem was honored in Best User Experience and Business/Government. The awards recognize Tandem’s work to modernize the U.S. Depa
Planning a Successful Data Migration
Database migration. Platform upgrade. Cloud migration. Undertaking any of these projects means having to plan a data migration. It can be a complex and time-consuming process, but with careful planning and attention to detail, it is possible to achieve a successful migration. There are a number of d
Human-Centered Agile: Part 1
It’s long been established that agile software development principles lead to better project outcomes when compared to a waterfall approach. Nothing is perfect, but the agile movement introduced a new level of clarity in shared understanding, flexibility to absorb changes, a framework for constraini
When is the Right Time to Pay Down Tech Debt?
“Technical debt” is a metaphor to illustrate that as code ages, it takes more work and becomes more expensive to maintain. That extra work is the interest you’re paying on your debt. Technical debt in software projects is unavoidable. It’s the cost of doing business, and teams should not
Designing for Complex Systems
At Tandem, we work on enterprise applications that usually involve interdependencies of multiple systems as well as large, diverse user bases. These complex systems bring unique UX challenges that can be solved with thoughtful design practices. To start, let me demonstrate what I mean when I say ‘co
The Massive Hertz-Accenture Lawsuit Should Be A Warning To Everyone In Consulting. Here’s What We Can Learn From It
The recent Hertz-Accenture lawsuit serves as a cautionary tale to companies on both sides of client-consultant relationships. Rental car agency Hertz filed a $32 million lawsuit in April against consulting giant Accenture because it “failed to deliver the website and apps for which it was so generou
Assessing Your Digital Transformation Readiness
On the buzzword scale “digital transformation” is pretty much off the charts. Because this term is so overused but also misunderstood, we should probably start with a definition. For me, digital transformation means the integration of digital technology into enough areas of a business that it fundam
Are Technical Debt and Legacy Systems Affecting Your Digital Transformation?
If your business is at all successful, you’ll eventually have some legacy technology. This is a natural side effect of running any enterprise and it’s relatively unavoidable. As business expands, new technologies and platforms are introduced. Over time, they become “legacy” by the nature of the fact
Human Centered Agile: Part 3
This is the last in a three-part series of posts that will explore how we do product development at Tandem – something we call “Human-Centered Agile.” You may want to read part one and part two before reading this particular post. A Process for HCD+Agile Any article that expounds on the
Human Centered Agile: Part 2
* This is the second in a three-part series of posts that will explore how we do product development at Tandem – something we call “Human-Centered Agile.” If you missed part one, be sure to get caught up here. While the two philosophies are after the same goal it is undeniable that there
Meeting Customers Where They Are
I had a boss once, a long time ago, who was fond of using little colloquial sayings to emphasize a point. At the time it really bothered me, but over the years a number of them have stuck with me and I find myself trotting them out every now and then. One of my favorites was: You don't put a
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