https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ Essays on engineering collaboration: technical empathy, organizational design, and human-centered tech. en-us Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ai-native-ai-naive-andrea-goulet-xcwee/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ai-native-ai-naive-andrea-goulet-xcwee/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT An organization can buy every AI tool on the market, require everyone to use a chatbot, launch an agent pilot, build a harness, and call themselves AI-native. Yet, those same practices can leave the company scrambling to deliver value. Why? Because that company isn't AI-native as it claims. It's… Human-Centered Tech https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ai-wont-save-your-broken-communication-andrea-goulet-rgnje/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ai-wont-save-your-broken-communication-andrea-goulet-rgnje/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT "There's a huge gap between what AI can do and what AI can do well." When I heard Sawyer Middeleer say this on the Chief of Staff Network podcast with Scott Amenta, I said "YES!" out loud in my car. And I kept saying it for most of the show. I spent over 15 years living deep in the world of legacy… Human-Centered Tech https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-master-hidden-patterns-human-communication-andrea-goulet-zfcfe/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-master-hidden-patterns-human-communication-andrea-goulet-zfcfe/ Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everything we've ever built that seemed impossible became possible the same way: someone got curious enough to find the patterns hidden in a system. Take the James Webb Space Telescope, one of the most complex machines humans have ever built. With it, we can look at the light of the most distant… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/difficult-decision-im-letting-go-my-book-andrea-goulet-dsvne/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/difficult-decision-im-letting-go-my-book-andrea-goulet-dsvne/ Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT For the past five years, every time I’ve stepped onto a conference stage, joined a podcast, or shared a post about my work, there’s been one question that’s followed me: For a long time, I answered with optimism. Then, with hesitation. And more recently, with the sinking feeling of knowing the truth… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-empathy-drove-grace-hoppers-software-development-andrea-goulet-t3jle/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-empathy-drove-grace-hoppers-software-development-andrea-goulet-t3jle/ Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT In 1949, Grace Hopper had a challenge [1]. Her checkbook had been out of balance for three months and she couldn't figure out why. It’s not that Grace was bad with numbers. Quite the contrary. She was a brilliant mathematician, and had worked for several years on an elite team programming some of… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-starling-behavior-key-understanding-empathy-andrea-goulet-pd8re/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/how-starling-behavior-key-understanding-empathy-andrea-goulet-pd8re/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT Empathy isn’t simply an innate ability. It’s a system. A complex dynamic adaptive system, to be precise. And these types of systems play by a different set of rules. We can’t design them from the top down. We can’t map them out like an assembly line where we can confidently predict that X inputs… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-opportunities-software-developers-andrea-goulet-sxgee/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-opportunities-software-developers-andrea-goulet-sxgee/ Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT Empathy is essential to effective collaboration. Throughout the course of our day-to-day work, there are many opportunities to use empathy to improve our code quality and collaboration. The trick is knowing what to look for. Here are five different ways that you can add empathy to your daily… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/unlearning-empathy-stereotype-andrea-goulet-xjyfc/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/unlearning-empathy-stereotype-andrea-goulet-xjyfc/ Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMT The notion that we can step into another person’s experience and use intuition alone to understand them isn’t helpful — it’s hubris. I know because I used to be that person. I used to feel like empathy was my superpower because I conformed to the stereotype of what an empath was supposed to be. But… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/many-layers-trust-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/many-layers-trust-andrea-goulet/ Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT Trust is essential for collaboration[1] because it helps us feel safe taking risks.[2] It motivates us to interact with others instead of isolating ourselves. It builds the bonds that are essential for social interaction. Trust is a driver of cooperation, innovation, and how well we navigate change… Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/evaluating-your-empathy-effectiveness-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/evaluating-your-empathy-effectiveness-andrea-goulet/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT Operating with empathy brings many benefits. However, benefits are inherently lagging indicators. It can take a long time to observe their effects, especially if we are in a relationship where there is an existing empathy deficit. If we want our empathy efforts to be effective, we need to look at… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/short-history-soft-skill-vs-hard-divide-why-its-farce-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/short-history-soft-skill-vs-hard-divide-why-its-farce-andrea-goulet/ Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT "Soft" and "hard" skills are typically pitted as opposites, but history shows they're not. This cultural categorization captured my curiosity years ago, and when I wrote about how the technical/non-technical divide impacted my identity [1], it went viral. Clearly, I'm not the only person whose life… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-error-messages-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-error-messages-andrea-goulet/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT When we think about empathy, we often think about synchronous interactions between two individuals, such as a face-to-face conversation. But these aren’t the only opportunities for empathy, particularly while we’re writing software. As an example, let’s look at how empathy influences the humble… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/computing-metaphors-human-emotion-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/computing-metaphors-human-emotion-andrea-goulet/ Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT In 1946, John von Neumann and his wife, Klara, successfully upgraded ENIAC to enable stored-program computing. This machine, programmed and operated by an amazing team of women, kicked off the modern computer age, making ENIAC the first fully electronic general-purpose computer. What became known as… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-technical-skill-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-technical-skill-andrea-goulet/ Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT ") Implementing empathy from colloquial, cliché advice can inadvertently lead us away from our desired outcomes. Instead of seeing empathy as simple or a superpower, it's time we embrace empathy as a technical skill. Empathy may seem simple. Many people consider it to be just a feeling. If you look… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/resilience-new-perfectionism-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/resilience-new-perfectionism-andrea-goulet/ Fri, 13 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT Last week, I had the distinct honor of delivering the commencement address for the 2022 VCU Honor's College graduation, my alma mater. As someone who gives talks all the time, I was surprised at the amount of emotional energy that went into developing this one. The ideas rumbled over in my brain for… Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-system-architecture/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-system-architecture/ Mon, 18 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT Using Empathy System Architecture, we can map out the fundamental skills required for effective empathy. Software System Architecture helps us identify the fundamental structures and relationships within a software system. Empathy can be approached the same way. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/its-time-pragmatic-empathy-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/its-time-pragmatic-empathy-andrea-goulet/ Wed, 27 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT When David Thomas and Andrew Hunt published the 20th-anniversary edition of their seminal work, The Pragmatic Programmer, I was honored to be asked to provide a review and humbled when my quote was selected for the back cover. That's because this book, probably more than any other, had an impact on… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/our-brains-like-software-not-hardware/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/our-brains-like-software-not-hardware/ Tue, 12 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT Instead of thinking of the brain as hardware, it might be more useful to think of it as software. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/defining-empathy-like-nailing-jell-o-wall/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/defining-empathy-like-nailing-jell-o-wall/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT I thought I understood empathy...until I started writing a book about it. Chances are, empathy doesn't mean what you think it means, either. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ultimatums-edge-cases-and-basecamp/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/ultimatums-edge-cases-and-basecamp/ Mon, 03 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT A few days ago, Basecamp announced some changes to their organization. Since we've publicly shared that some of Basecamp's books and philosophies have influenced the Corgibytes culture, we feel it is necessary to share our dissent on some of their recent decisions, particularly around their policy of 'no more societal and political discussions' at work. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-development/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-development/ Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT Empathy is an important technical skill that can drive the decisions developers make when they code. How can we make the practice of applying empathy throughout a codebase concrete? It starts with defining the practice. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/conways-law-communication-software/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/conways-law-communication-software/ Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT If you want to eliminate your technical debt, communication HAS to be a critical component of your efforts. If you're struggling to break up your monolith and move to a microservices model, the first place to look is how your team is communicating. Command and control silos will result in monoliths. Self-organizing and autonomous teams give rise to microservices. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/square-zero-hidden-habits/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/square-zero-hidden-habits/ Wed, 19 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT Many programming languages use what’s called zero-based indexing. Counting starts at zero, not one. When building your career in tech, know there are invisible forces at play that are obvious once you uncover them. If you navigate your career without understanding this hidden framework, you’ll usually come up with the wrong answer. Let's take a peek at some of these hidden habits that are likely holding you back. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/white-space-as-active-element/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/white-space-as-active-element/ Thu, 22 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT If you sent me an email today, you’d get an autoresponder that starts with a quote from Jan Tschichold. What better quote to feature during my own “White Space” time in December and January, during which I’ve purposely limited my meeting schedule and am only checking email once a day. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/technical-non-technical-both-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/technical-non-technical-both-andrea-goulet/ Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT Eight years ago, I went to my high-school reunion. I had worked successfully in the field of sales and marketing since graduation. I had started my own consultancy when I was twenty-four which helped clients with sales and developing their “brand voice.” I was the human voice behind businesses large… Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/books-inspired-corgibytes-culture-andrea-goulet/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/books-inspired-corgibytes-culture-andrea-goulet/ Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT One of the comments I get frequently is how the culture of Corgibytes feels distinctive. Clients enjoy working with us, employees are happy and not stressed out, and the company just kind of purrs. This didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of lots of intention and implementing specific… Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/three-influential-books/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/three-influential-books/ Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT One of the comments I get frequently is how the culture of Corgibytes feels distinctive. Clients enjoy working with us, employees are happy and not stressed out, and the company just kind of purrs. This didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of lots of intention and implementing specific strategies. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/bridging-technical-non-technical-divide/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/bridging-technical-non-technical-divide/ Thu, 01 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT Eight years ago, I went to my high school reunion. I had worked successfully in the field of sales and marketing since graduation. I had started my own consultancy when I was twenty-four which helped clients with sales and developing their “brand voice.” I was the human voice behind businesses large and small. At the time I loved my job and had no plans on leaving my industry. At the reunion, I looked around, and after the mandatory mingling that comes with being a social butterfly, I locked eyes with someone I recognized. He was leaning against the bar, drinking a soda, and looking utterly uncomfortable. Yep. That was none other than M. Scott Ford. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/technical-or-non-technical/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/technical-or-non-technical/ Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT Stereotype threat is especially pervasive in technology. For women, this manifests as the “girls are bad at math” stereotype. For men, it's more often “you have no social skills.” Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/communication-and-code/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/communication-and-code/ Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMT I had the pleasure of keynoting at Ruby Nation where I expanded on one of the core values at Corgibytes: Communication Is Just As Important As Code. This post is pretty much a transcript of my talk. I got great feedback and am looking forward to presenting on this topic more. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-spectrum/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-spectrum/ Fri, 27 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT If we want our developers to have more empathy for our customers, we as employers need to have more empathy for developers. We need to cast off the stereotype of good developers being only those people who are emotionless, data-driven, Spock-like caricatures, and embrace the fact that as humans, we all experience emotion. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/core-values/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/core-values/ Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT At Corgibytes, we have five core values: Think of Others, Calm the Chaos, Communication is Just as Important as Code, Adopt a Growth Mindset, and Craftsmanship in Context. These values are the nucleus of our company: the center of all decisions, big and small, for the Corgibytes executive team and staff. Here's a look at each one in detail. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/inception-layers/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/inception-layers/ Fri, 15 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT How do you interrupt your engineers appropriately? At Corgibytes, we use Inception Layers do describe how interruptible we are. Organizational Design https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-development-2016/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/empathy-driven-development-2016/ Fri, 01 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT When we put empathy at the center of our technology, human connection becomes stronger. Infusing empathy throughout your organization and development strategy can have profound positive impacts on customer loyalty, employee retention, and vendor service. Technical Empathy https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/complicated-vs-complex/ https://www.andreagoulet.com/writing/complicated-vs-complex/ Fri, 04 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT Estimates are useful. They help business owners predict and control their budget, scope, and timelines. Right? Well, not always. Over the years, we’ve learned that there are some projects where estimates work great and others where it’s a disaster. Organizational Design