Invariant of an artisan

 

Signature is still by an artisan, a person who still needs to keep up

AI to software engineering upgrade is like an excavator to earth diggers. With all leverage it gives, AI does not replace judgement, skill and understanding.

Invariant is bulletproof, and full of parallels.

Even if AI could do 90% of code creation (10x), and even 99% in 2-5 years (100x) there is still remaining 1-10% which require understanding by a human. By a person who need to make adjustments coaligned with first 90-99%*. Artisan who needs to put their signature still needs to get trained how to operate technology and support underlying business.

Engineering-wise cycle is somewhat similar to adjusting IC productivity when it was on the way from assembler to C, from C++ to Java/Go/Python etc., from JS to React or similar.

One thing this cycle brings - high pressure to maintain operational IP as code. To have it blueprinted into operations. This creates sound opportunity to prioritize platform, DevOps and infrastructure.

* - these are optimistic, but possible stretch goals.

Operational IP - the ninety target

The ninety target

Applications are the code. There is no other way to compile/interpret them. It is a must. The way how they operate – operational IP – historically not.

That’s Jon who deploys, and Susan who knows when to reboot it, and Joan who designs upgrades, and Jim who does security patches, and Ingrid who is on systems, and Matt who updated configuration yesterday, and Dana who keeps the database up, and Ravi who keeps firewalls protected, and James who makes sure systems keep up with the load, and Kaya who know how orchestrate all these together.

Does your SaaS work 24/7 (most do)? – that’s 5-6 times more people per application group. To handle three shifts and 21 shift x days with time to teach, learn, replenish and stay human.

How far your cloud strategy from protecting >90% of your operational IP?

Contact for the gap analysis

Gap analysis

Countdown to legacy. Source images credit: nano banana

Most companies don't have a countdown clock which toward the end switches to hieroglyphics, sounds alarm and gradually causes earth tremors. Legacy software process just gets obsolete one day.

Modern software technology operations go beyond code itself. Operational IP is a complex system: including SDLC decisions, data, configuration management and pipelines.

AI/LLM-tools application may vary for some time, but as always - you can't automate what was not written down. Which is easier to say than to get to the mark.

[1] - Ask about your “five nines” gap analysis for your service (SaaS)
[2] - Own your SaaS: 12 angles to improve your velocity with blueprints