Retro Clarity Snapshot

Most teams already know what’s broken. They just need someone external to say it out loud. Or they’re so deep in the weeds they can’t see what’s actually slowing them down. If you’ve run 20 retros and nothing’s changed, it’s not because your team doesn’t care. Generally there are other patterns occuring that are invisible from inside the room. What this is A fast, objective diagnostic for software teams who want insight on whats causing friction. ...

September 30, 2025 · 2 min · The Cynical Developer

Ticket-Driven Development: The Fastest Way to Go Nowhere

Let me guess how your day started. You opened your laptop, fired up the sprint board, and grabbed the next ticket in the “Ready” column. Maybe it was a small feature. Maybe a bug. Either way, you didn’t write it, you didn’t scope it, and you definitely didn’t question it. Because that’s not how it works here. We are Ticket-Driven Developers now. Thinking is out. Throughput is in. Tickets are moving. Morale is not. ...

June 21, 2025 · 3 min · The Cynical Developer