Author

Swapnil Srivastava

278 Articles

I Rewrote Our README from Scratch. Onboarding Time Dropped by 3 Days.

3 Min Read

Introduction In today’s fastpaced digital world, onboarding new team members has become an increasingly complex task. It involves not just familiarizing them with basic company policies and procedures but also equipping them with the necessary…

I Refused to Work Weekends. My Manager Respected Me More.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Why Did I Refuse to Work Weekends? In an era where worklife balance is becoming increasingly elusive, many professionals find themselves sacrificing their personal time in pursuit of career advancement. However, my story is one of the rare instances…

I Read the Entire Codebase Before Writing a Single Line. Best Decision I Made.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Introduction Starting my career as a software engineer, one of the most common pieces of advice given to me was to read through an entire codebase before making changes or writing new lines. This approach has been something that has stuck with me…

I Ran a Blameless PostMortem for the First Time. Team Psychological Safety Shifted Overnight.

By Swapnil Srivastava

4 Min Read

The Power of Open Communication In today’s fastpaced world, where projects often face unexpected challenges and setbacks, postmortems are essential tools to learn from failures and ensure that similar mistakes don’t recur in the future. However,…

I Pushed to Production on a Friday. Here’s What Happened Next.

By Swapnil Srivastava

2 Min Read

Introduction Pushing code directly into production environments, especially on Fridays, can be fraught with risks and uncertainties. It’s a highrisk move that requires meticulous planning and preparation. In this article, we’ll explore the journey of…

I Promised a Deadline I Couldn’t Keep. It Broke Trust That Took a Year to Rebuild.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Introduction The promise of meeting deadlines is often seen as a cornerstone of professionalism and reliability in any professional relationship. However, when promises are made that cannot be kept, it can lead to severe consequences such as losing trust…

I Pair Programmed Every Day for a Month. Here’s What Actually Happened.

By Swapnil Srivastava

4 Min Read

Introduction Pair programming is not just about writing code together it’s also about collaborating, learning from each other, and fostering an environment of mutual support. In this article, I’ll share the journey I embarked upon by pair programming…

I OverEngineered a Simple Feature. The Team Spent 3 Months Undoing It.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Introduction In today’s fastpaced technological landscape, developers are often tempted to add unnecessary complexity to features that may seem simple at first glance. This is exemplified in the story of a team overengineering what appeared to be a…

I Moved from a Product Company to a Services Company. Here’s the Brutal Honest Difference.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Introduction Transitioning from a product company to a services company represents a significant shift in responsibilities and operational dynamics. While both roles play crucial parts within an organization, they differ significantly in their core…

I Moved All Team Communication to Async. Meeting Hours Dropped by 70%.

By Swapnil Srivastava

3 Min Read

Introduction In today’s fastpaced business environment, teams face immense pressure to maintain productivity while navigating a multitude of communication channels and meeting schedules. Traditional synchronous meetings often lead to excessive time…