Summary: In this episode Robert Navarro shares the technique he uses to deal with uncertainty and vague software requirements; become the top cat in your software development shop. He also challenges you to start making small changes that will improve your health. <a style="line-height: 1.5;" href="http://www.patreon.com/getupandcode" target="_blank">Patreon (Donate to Get Up And Code)</a> I’d really appreciate it if you could <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-up-and-code!/id646958161?mt=2" target="_blank">Rate Get Up and CODE on iTunes</a>. Thanks! Links <a href="http://herculesblog.com" target="_blank">Robert's Blog (http://herculesblog.com)</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/getupandcode" target="_blank">Get Up And Code Twitter (@getupandcode)</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/navarrorc" target="_blank">Robert's Twitter (@navarrorc)</a> <a href="https://github.com/navarrorc" target="_blank">Robert's Github (navarrorc)</a> Full Transcript Speaker 1: Welcome to the Get Up and CODE Podcast with your host pro natural bodybuilder and software developer Robert Navarro. The only podcast that combines fitness and programming and does it in less time than it takes to finish your workout. Robert: Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Get Up and CODE. I want to take this time to thank 2 loyal listeners, Tony and Allen and also of course John Sonmez for their feedback. I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve taken your advice into consideration and hopefully you could hear a difference in the way I’m producing this episode so let’s get started. On today’s show I wanted to talk to you guys about how I work through uncertainty in vague software requirements but before I do that I wanted to explain a little bit the title of the show, you know, How To Become a Top Cat. Back in the ‘60s there was a cartoon named Top Cat and in it had a character, a leader, a leader cat named TC. This cat was the leader of the pack and everyone in that group, the other cats in the group would always follow everything he did. I’m sure you guys could pull up the episodes on YouTube and watch one or 2 of those just to kind of familiarize yourself with what I’m talking about which is not too relevant to our topic here, but I just got the idea of as software developers sometimes we’re known as being cats and the easy expression of hurting cats that’s very difficult to do because cats have a mind of their own and they do whatever they want to whenever they want to. Again, be that top cat, be the leader of your group. The way you become a top cat is you have to expose those hidden details in the vague software requirements and you also have to get everyone within your group, everyone within your team to communicate with you. The way you stimulate that communication is by prototyping. Prototyping is a method that I’ve used over the years and it’s a way for me to show my coworkers and show my client my understanding of those vague software requirements and it allows them to provide some feedback. The feedback that I get back from them basically allows me to really create the solutions that they actually need. By creating prototypes you are shortening a feedback loop and this feedback loop is a tool that you have to have in your arsenal that you have to analyze. The shorter it is the better because that means that you’ll be able to implement features quicker and make the client a lot happier. Again, prototyping shortens the feedback loop and it just exposes those hidden details that you need in order to successfully create working software. The other point I wanted to touch on is the fact that you sometimes have to deal with pushback and negativity in your workplace. As a person that likes to listen to podcasts, that likes to improve in different areas of your life, especially if you’re listening to this one here is because you have an interest in both fitness and improving your career.
