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James Armstrong | Engineering Leadership & AI Strategy

Engineering leadership insights, AI strategy, and practical guides for modern software development. Learn about product-aware engineering, team scaling, and building in the age of AI.


  1. Making Big Leaps with Small Steps: A Practical Guide for the Modern Engineer

    The game has changed. While some engineers are still hand-crafting every line of code like artisanal weavers, the most effective ones have become power users of the new tools available to them. Just as the first industrial weavers who embraced mechanization dramatically outproduced their peers, today’s engineers who master incremental delivery with AI assistance and modern CI/CD are delivering business impact at unprecedented speed. …

    • 5 min read • on incremental delivery, ci/cd, ai assistance, engineering practices, feature development, agile

  2. The Software Engineer of the Future: The Product-Aware Business Value Creator

    In an age when any wannabe startup CEO or even your friendly salesperson is vibe-coding a random business process into a cringy new SaaS app that they think is going to change the world, everyone thinks they can build product, but there are some spectacular failure stories out there to prove that not everyone can. …

    • 6 min read • on software engineering, product management, business value, career development, technical leadership

  3. SaaS in the age of AI: the winners are going to be the state engines

    The SaaS landscape is experiencing seismic shifts. AI-powered interfaces are democratizing user experience design. Large language models are making sophisticated automation accessible to every company. Agentic systems are promising to revolutionize how we interact with software entirely. …

    • 4 min read • on ai, saas, data, state management, competitive advantage

  4. If Everyone Is Responsible, No One Is Responsible

    The Accountability Paradox …

    • 5 min read • on accountability, decision-making, management philosophy, engineering leadership

  5. The Organizational Mismatch Problem | Why Great People Fail in the Wrong Stage

    The High Performer Who Can’t Perform …

    • 6 min read • on hiring, organizational development, team scaling, startup culture, enterprise culture

  6. The Organizational Maturity Mismatch | Why Great People Fail in the Wrong Environment

    ## The Paradox of High Performers Who Can't Perform …

    • 11 min read • on organizational development, team scaling, career development, startup culture, enterprise culture

  7. The Right Person, Right Time, Right Experience Problem | Why Great Hires Fail Despite Everything Looking Perfect

    The Perfect Storm of Hiring Failure …

    • 7 min read • on hiring, organizational development, career timing, leadership, startup scaling

  8. Buyer Beware | Part 4: Business Integration Planning

    This is Part 4 of the Buyer Beware M&A Series. …

    • 14 min read • on m&a, integration, business planning, change management, post-acquisition

  9. Buyer Beware | Part 3: Technology and Architecture Assessment

    This is Part 3 of the Buyer Beware M&A Series. …

    • 15 min read • on m&a, technology, architecture, technical debt, scalability

  10. Buyer Beware | Part 3: Technology and Architecture Assessment

    *This is Part 3 of the [Buyer Beware M&A Series](/2023/Buyer-Beware-M&A-Series-Index/).* …

    • 7 min read • on m&a, technology, architecture, technical debt, scalability