You’re reading The Steady Beat, a weekly-ish round-up of hand-picked articles and resources for people who make software products: designers, engineers, product managers, and organizational leaders.
By the Numbers - Interruptions
- 12 — The average amount of time spent on a task before being interrupted is 12 minutes and 40 seconds, according to UC Irvine research.
- 25 — After being interrupted, it takes an average of 25 minutes and 26 seconds to return to the original task.
- 2.8 — Just 2.8 seconds of interruption can cause people to commit twice the number of computer errors.
- 63 — The percentage of tasks interrupted in open-plan offices is a staggering 63%, making it a prime culprit for workplace inefficiency.
- 49 — Even in private offices, 49% of tasks are interrupted, showing that walls aren’t a guaranteed focus shield.
Leading by Example (and Decision Scope)
Michael Gray of ClearBank shares the playbook on navigating the tricky terrain of engineering leadership. It’s a high-wire act of balancing team autonomy with regulatory demands, all while fostering a psychologically safe environment. From the Architecture Advice Process to mentoring the next generation of engineers, Gray emphasizes the power of clear decision-making frameworks and continuous improvement. He warns, though, that the industry’s “do more with less” mindset risks turning teams into feature factories, sacrificing long-term quality for short-term gains. His advice to leaders? Stay patient, challenge strategically, and never lose sight of the human side of engineering.
—InfoQ, 20m #management
Reasoning, Reframed
The new GPT o1-preview reasoning model isn’t just another chatbot—it’s designed for complex thinking, and it’s leaving AI skeptics scratching their heads. While foundational models handle basic tasks, this one tackles deeper logic, evaluating paths and making sense of complex problems. It’s not just about finding a fix but understanding the “why” behind it. When tested on real-world product strategy, it hit 80% of the mark, causing one expert to question the very need for startups. The takeaway? AI can handle the obvious, but human creativity is still crucial for the 20% that turns good ideas into great ones.
— Leading Product, 7m #productmanagement
QA Confidential
In a world where “Quality Assurance” can mean just about anything, Luca Rossi’s 3500-word opus tackles the confusion head-on, debunking myths and dishing out pragmatic advice. He breaks QA into stages that mirror a startup’s growth, showing how what’s critical for QA early on (hint: almost nothing) shifts dramatically as you scale. From deciphering the ROI of testing to handling the end-to-end testing conundrum, Luca leaves no stone unturned.
— Refactoring, 9m #development
Click, Sand, Repeat
Building software is a lot like woodworking: you can’t just throw things together and expect it to be perfect. Jim Nielson likens his approach to running a plank through a sander—testing, tweaking, and refining until all the rough spots are gone. For him, it’s a hands-on process of clicking around, finding those annoying UI splinters, and smoothing them out. Case in point: a dead zone between a radio button and its label caused by a CSS flexbox gap. The fix? Swapping out the gap for padding, turning the whole area into a smooth-clicking surface. It’s a simple reminder that the devil—and the beauty—is in the details.
Jim Nielson, 5m #design
Less Meetings, More Context
Have you tried Steady? It’s an AI-powered coordination layer that eliminates 83% of meetings for software teams.
Steady runs in the background, distilling plans and progress from tools, teams, & people into tailored summaries, giving everyone the clarity they need to build outstanding products together. With Steady, everyone has continuous context at their fingertips, eliminating the need for burdensome shoulder taps, interruptions, and endless meetings.
Learn more at steady.space.
