Recently, we did an interview with Matthew Bishop (MB) one of RSG's newest members of the Development team to get his take on what it’s like to work on the technology that powers the Resolve Enterprise software product. The interview was done by Huzefa Bootwala (HB).
HB: Thanks for chatting with me, Matthew. I understand you’re our newest recruit in the development team.
MB: That’s right, I started in July last year, so about 8 months now.
HB: What’s your background? Have you always been a programmer?
MB: No actually, my last couple of jobs have been in professional services. Mainly working with Document Management systems and OCR technology. But writing code is my real passion and that’s why I moved from regional NSW to Melbourne, to switch my career over to software development. While I did enjoy the technical aspects of scripting, configuring and customising off-the-shelf products, I was always fascinated about the underlying code that drives how these systems work. Now that I’m at RSG, I get to work on that.
HB: What’s it like working in the RSG dev team? Are you happy with making the move to development?
MB: Very happy with the decision. When I was applying for developer jobs, I was concerned I might end up in a high-pressure job or a company with a toxic culture. I’ve heard some horror stories from other devs [laughs]. But RSG is exactly the opposite of that. Everyone is very respectful. We all help each other out. There’s a good culture of mentorship and teamwork.
The pace of the work is balance just right too. We’re not under so much pressure that we burn out, or rush, which would lead to a low-quality product. We’re consistently getting through the work and working towards our goal. I think that’s because we’re doing Agile correctly.
HB: So, your team uses Agile practices?
MB: Yeah we do, and not like some other companies that throw around the word ‘Agile’ just because it’s a trendy buzz-word in the software industry, but don’t take Agile seriously internally. We actually use Agile practices and I think it benefits the team greatly.
HB: What are some of the features you’re working on right now?
MB: We’re very much focussed on the new Resolve Web Client right now. We’re bringing Resolve to the web browser. It’s a big job, but it’s exciting at the same time. We’re making use of modern web technologies.
HB: Sounds great. Do you think our users and customers will get a lot of benefit from the web interface? MB: All of us in the dev team are quite passionate about user experience. Creating a new interface from scratch really allows us to prioritise the user experience. We want to get it right. The web technologies we’ve chosen to work with will allow us to deliver that user experience.
Also, one thing I like about a web interface is that there’s nothing to install on the user’s workstation. You just have a shortcut in your browser, you click on the shortcut, login, and you’re done. You can start working straight away.
HB: Thanks Matthew for taking the time to give us a look behind the scenes.
MB: My pleasure Huzefa.
News of the Week
The ‘Hunger Games’ of hiring
A research institute in New York has found success by hiring applicants in clusters — not as individuals, reports The Wall Street Journal. Applicants are brought together, told to split into groups and craft research proposals. The group or groups with the most potential are hired. The approach could have a future in the business world, where vulnerable CEOs may have a better chance of professional survival with stronger teams. Unlike traditional approaches, the "Hunger Games” method would let teams assemble themselves.
- From LinkedIn Daily Rundown Australia (17/01/2020)
The least productive time of day
Does your productivity slump in the afternoon? Well you're not alone – researchers have pinpointed the least-productive time of day: 2:17pm. Research by Pro Plus found more than a third of workers start to experience a drowsy feeling at this time. Sleep expert Nick Littlehales said this is because we "try to recuperate in one block at night, despite the fact that we’re designed to recover in shorter periods more often". He advises workers take 20 minutes at lunchtime to have a stroll or eat lunch with a "vacant mind space".
- From LinkedIn Daily Rundown Australia (17/01/2020)
Quote of the Week
