Today’s episode of Satisfying Software is with Diana Montalion, author of Learning Systems Thinking. Diana has a wealth of experience of helping software teams navigate complex software systems at places like The Economist and The Wikimedia Project. If you’re a software designer, architect, or developer interested in non-linear thinking, this conversation will introduce you to new ways to improve your craft.The conversation covers:How to build trust and lead effectively when you’re not certain about the right directionWhy being right is always temporaryHow to express intuition and uncertainty in decision-making conversationsShownotes: Buy Diana's book - Learning System Thinking - https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-systems-thinking/9781098151324/Take Diana's course -https://ddd.academy/learning-systems-thinking/Join us in Antwerp on June 4-6 for Domain-Driven Design Europe, EventCentric and Data Mesh Live - https://dddeurope.com/Join Gien's class "Leadership in Software Design" on June 2-3 in Antwerp - https://2025.dddeurope.com/program/leadership-in-software-design/Satisfying Software is hosted by Gien Verschatse and produced by Aardling, a software designing and modelling consultancy. https://aardling.eu/
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Empowering Teams to Make Architectural Decisions with Andrew Harmel-Law
Andrew Harmel-Law is the author of "Facilitating Software Architecture: Empowering Teams to Make Architectural Decisions", a new book published by O'Reilly. In this episode, Andrew and Gien Verschatse discuss the various decision-making models available to teams and their book's take on the most effective approach. Listen to this conversation if you're in a software team making hard tradeoffs and looking for a framework which can help you make and be accountable for decisions.Shownotes:Buy Andrew's book. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/facilitating-software-architecture/9781098151850/Andrew will be on stage at Domain-Driven Design Europe 2025 in Antwerp on June 4-6. https://2025.dddeurope.com/program/Gien Verschatse is running a new workshop on "Leadership in Software Design" on June 2-3. https://2025.dddeurope.com/program/leadership-in-software-design/
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Communication patterns for engineers with Jacqui Read
Jacqui Read is the author of "Communication Patterns: A Guide for Developers and Architects."She is a well-known speaker and gave one of the most well-received talks at Domain-Driven Design Europe in 2024.During this episode, Jacqui sits down with Gien Verschatse, senior consultant at Aardling to discuss the ideas within her book and dishes out some practical advice for engineers and architects to use in communicating with colleagues and clients. Shownotes:Jacqui will be speaking at Domain-Driven Design Europe 2025 in Antwerp - Jacqui's websiteThe book - Communication Patterns ACED model LinkedInBluesky MastodonSatisfying Software is powered by Aardling, a software consultancy specialising in software modelling and strategy (https://aardling.eu/)
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Designing Event-Driven Systems with Laïla Bougriâ
Today’s guest is Laïla Bougriâ, a well-known expert and speaker on event-driven and distributed systems. She works as a software engineer and solutions architect at Particular Software.In this discussion with Gien Verschatse, they cover:Heuristics for designing an event-driven systemWhen designing an event-driven system is worth whileThe subtle differences between “event-driven” and “messaging”Commands in disguise: Beware of the passive-aggressive eventsTips for getting more time with business stakeholders as an engineerHow to encourage collaborative problem solving between business and ITWhat does satisfying software mean to LailaShownotesLaïla Bougriâ is delivering two talks at EventCentric. Take a look at the program for full details - https://eventcentric.eu/programSatisfying Software is powered by Aardling, a software consultancy specialising in software modelling and strategy. (https://aardling.eu/)
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Domain-Driven Design tactical patterns with Thomas Coopman
Thomas Coopman has taught hundreds of organisations to adopt Domain-Driven Design practices. In this conversation, we cover:Which language/s work best with tactical patternsFunctional programming and DDDHow to make time for refactoringWhether overmodelling a solution is a problemHow to express your model in codeWhy it's all about solving customer problems.Shownotes: Join Thomas for his in-person workshop, Implementing Tactical Patterns, on June 2-3 in Antwerp before DDD Europe. https://ddd.academy/implementing-tactical-patterns/Gien and Thomas' guide to video series on modelling - https://youtu.be/K2Z3yHn5KQkSatisfying Software is powered by Aardling, a software consultancy specialising in software modelling and strategy. (https://aardling.eu/)
Welcome to Satisfying Software.
Each episode we sits down with someone from the industry to talk about what good software looks like. We'll discuss a range of different topics or techniques that can help you in your daily work. Whether that's settling a conflict, managing trade-offs or simply how to deliver high quality software. We'll ask each guest for advice based on their hard-earned expertise in grappling with complex software systems. And we will of course ask the guests what satisfying software means to them.
This show is hosted by Gien Verschatse and powered by Aardling.
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