Apologies, this is a long one - clearly I’ve got a lot to say on this subject!

It didn’t take long after ChatGPT was released for me to start seeing how fundamentally this technology could transform software engineering. Not just as another tool in our arsenal, but as something that could redefine what it means to be a software engineer entirely.

The discourse around this has been fascinating. Jump on LinkedIn or X and you’ll see endless debates about whether AI will augment or replace software engineers, whether it’s just another productivity tool or a paradigm shift, whether it’s overhyped or understated. But I think many are missing the real story - it’s not about whether AI will take our jobs, it’s about how it’s already changing the very nature of our profession.

We live in an era where rapid solutions are celebrated. The quicker we solve a problem, the more productive we appear. But what if, in our rush to get to a resolution, we’re missing the mark entirely? Albert Einstein’s timeless quote, “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it”, resonates deeply in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world.

I’ve been contemplating the concept of agentic AI for a while now. The idea that we can create specialised AI agents, each mastering a specific task, and have them work together iteratively struck me as a powerful way to really harness the power of AI to tackle complex problems. After all, that’s how teams of humans working together accomplish amazing outcomes, right?

I first encountered Auto-GPT over a year ago and was intrigued enough to join their Discord community. At that time, the concept of autonomous AI agents was still in its early stages, and Auto-GPT was pioneering an approach that allowed AI systems to autonomously generate and execute their own goals. This innovative idea resonated with me, reinforcing my belief in the transformative potential of specialised AI agents across various industries.

In June 2024, I had the privilege of travelling from Auckland, New Zealand, to speak at StaffPlus London - an unforgettable experience. Speaking at such a high-profile event, surrounded by so many talented Staff+ Engineers, was truly special. What made this event particularly memorable wasn’t just the prominence of the event but the opportunity to share something that has become deeply important to me: how the timeless teachings of W. Edwards Deming remain as relevant today as ever in the constantly evolving world of technology.

Learning about Deming has led me to another incredible thinker - Russell Ackoff. Born in 1919, Ackoff is best known for his contributions to Systems Thinking.

In one of his lectures, From Mechanistic to Systemic Thinking, Ackoff discusses systems and the difference between analysis and synthesis. He explains that the essential properties of a system are unique to the system as a whole. These properties arise from the interactions between the parts of the system. In other words, a system is more than the sum of its parts; it is the product of their interactions.

In the fast-paced world of tech, leadership styles can make or break an organisation’s success. Are you driving growth with a developmental mindset or merely maintaining the status quo with a transactional approach?

One of the best books I’ve read recently is Gene Kim and Steven Spear’s Wiring the Winning Organisation. It distils many great leadership theories into clear, actionable concepts. At the very end of the book, in Appendices A and B, they talk about the differences between transactional and developmental leadership. This is something I think about a lot but didn’t know the precise terms for until reading these sections.