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In Clean Architecture, Robert Martin adds some commentary to Kent Becks famous Make it work, make it right, make it fast quote:

First, make it work. You are out of business if it doesnt work.

Then make it right. Refactor the code so that you and others can understand and evolve it as needs change or are better understood.

Then make it fast. Refactor the code for needed performance.

One of my old teams did this so right. Another one did it so, so wrong

I used to work for a company that built a B2B SaaS product. Their old, monolithic, Java-based product was a cash cow, bringing in $15 million annually for eight straight years. They hired a new engineering director who promised to build a next-gen product that would take them even further using the latest tech (at the time, that meant Kubernetes solves all problems). He just needed 30 engineers and permission to do it as a complete rewrite.

The product was an engineering marvel. The director got the 30 engineers he wanted and they built and deployed 162 microservices (picoservices might be a better name) supporting everything from CAN-SPAM to a chatbot with some early NLP features.

There was only one problem: it didnt work.

After two years of development and $27 million spent on R&D, no customers could migrate from the Java monolith to the new system. Pages loaded in minutes. Events were stuck in queues for hours as calls fanned out and validated data.

The director was, unsurprisingly, let go. The project was written off as a total loss. After two years, the company returned to iterating on the Java monolith, a system they still use today.

There was another team I worked for that had a single driving principle: Delight the users. That core principle drove all our decisions, especially when building new features. We took user feedback, implemented it quickly, and shipped it in a few days.

We cared about clean architecture, passing tests, and scalable services. But our primary focus was a working product.

The result of this team was just that: a product that worked. We iterated on a great product, delighted users, and built a profitable system that continues to run ten years later. (You go, SyncTimes!)

Maybe its boring that there wasnt much drama about this project. But Boring is beautiful (credit to Ben "The Hosk" Hosking in Boring is Beautiful in Software Development, worth the read).

Originally posted here:

A tale of two engineering teams. Hi, this is Jacob with this weeks | by Jacob Bennett | The Atomic Engineer | Feb ... - Medium

Clearing trees and brush is one of the challenges in eastern Kansas, where woods will naturally encroach upon fields and sometimes need to be removed. Today, well meet a rural-preneur who has designed better equipment to cut trees and clear fields.

Kelly Coover is the co-owner of CVR Manufacturing in Galesburg, Kansas. Coover and his brothers had been involved with a feed mill growing up in the small town.

He went to school in Erie, where he was active in agricultural education classes. In 1976, he became the state champion in the Future Farmers of America Structures and Environment competition.

Coover earned a degree in agricultural engineering from K-State and returned to southeast Kansas. For a time, he worked as an engineer for the U.S. Army ammunition plant in Parsons.

Coover always looked for a better way to do things. He joined his brother in creating a company called CVR Manufacturing to do research and development of new and improved agriculture-related products.

The company was named CVR, which is a contraction of the family name, and was also the cattle brand that Kellys father had acquired years ago.

CVR Manufacturing explored making different kinds of projects: a biodegradable injection-moldable plastic material made from wheat straw and starch.

That made it useful for making animal feed containers.

Another product was an outdoor furnace called Heatsource 1 that uses wood, corn or pellets for heating.

They then came across tree-choppers, which are a real need in forested southeast Kansas.

They licensed a product called the tree chopper, designed to be mounted on a four wheeler.

As the business expanded, Coover brought on board his son Kyle, also a K-State engineering graduate.

We saw cutting trees was a good market, Coover said.

The Sawfish line uses an appropriately named long narrow blade. The Coovers designed another tree cutting device of their own with overlapping circular disk blades.

They continued to upgrade and improve their design over time.

If the blades overlap, it only takes half the energy to cut a tree, Coover said.

Their first redesigned model included ten-inch disks to cut four-inch diameter trees, which had been created with a mount plate to go on four-wheelers.

Next, they upscaled the device to include 16-inch disks with bucket clamps that could go on the front-end loader of a tractor.

Kyle suggested another improvement on the product line: The Sawtilus trimmer, which uses a spiral-shaped blade to cut smaller trees in one revolution. This can be mounted on a string trimmer.

It keeps torque constant and minimizes hydraulics, Coover said.

CVR Manufacturing earned a patent on that product in May of 2023.

There was nothing he couldnt fix, Kyle said about his father.

It runs in the family. Kelly Coover has three sisters and three brothers: Don, a veterinarian; Brian, an ag engineer; and Dave, an ag education major who is back on the Coover family farm.

Coover continues to look for better ways to get things done.

I can see alternate uses and other ways to do things, he said. I take a notebook and when I have an idea, I write it down. I have 25 or 30 notebooks with ideas in them. I just need the time and money to get them done.

The disk tree cutter has proven especially popular for cutting trees and clearing brush.

In Texas, they are using them to cut mesquite, Coover said. Our small model is used on yucca in the west.

CVR products have gone as far away as Georgia, Oregon and West Virginia. Its an impressive record for a business located in the rural community of Galesburg, population 149 people. Now, thats rural.

For more information on the companys outdoor furnaces, go to http://www.heatsource1.com.

For information on other products, go to http://www.cvrmanufacturing.com.

Clearing trees and brush is a real need in certain parts of the country, and Kansas-based CVR Manufacturing is finding better ways to make this possible.

We salute Kelly and Kyle Coover and all those involved with CVR Manufacturing for making a difference with ingenuity and engineering.

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Kansas Profile: Family of engineers develops new strategies for the family business to succeed - The Mercury - Manhattan, Kansas

Vlizy-Villacoublay/Munich. Dassault Systmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) and BMW Group today embarked on a long-term strategic partnership to develop BMW Groups future engineering platform featuring Dassault Systmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform at its core. More than 17,000 employees across multiple engineering disciplines at the premium automobile manufacturer will rely on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to accelerate the development of all vehicles, from their ideation to their production.

In an industry where quick time to market of sustainable mobility solutions with advanced technology is a competitive differentiator, the partnership between Dassault Systmes and BMW Group is testimony to the fundamental role of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in enabling companies to deliver products faster. The platforms virtual twin experiences streamline enterprise-wide collaboration and deliver data-driven approaches to manage the exponential complexity carmakers are facing in connected, autonomous vehicle engineering.

We will only optimize our engineering process if we think digital, work connected and rely on an integrated data. For the BMW Group the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will support this approach and help to reach a higher level of quality in our processes, said Julien Hohenstein, Vice President Processes, Digitalization, Governance Idea to Offer at the BMW Group research and development.

With the 3DEXPERIENCE platform at the core of BMW Groups future product development environment, all BMW Group engineering disciplines will be working on a virtual twin of a vehicle that can be configured for the variants of each model with real-time, integrated data. Teams can reuse components more easily, master the complexity of car variability, and improve the engineering to manufacturing cycle time. In addition, BMW Group can seamlessly migrate data from its existing IT solutions and extend its engineering platform to other disciplines such as modeling and simulation.

The strategic partnership between Dassault Systmes and BMW Group marks the next phase in their long-term collaboration. For decades, the two companies have pooled their knowledge and know-how to advance technological innovation in areas including production planning and scheduling, part design and production efficiency.

BMW Group and Dassault Systmes are technology-driven companies that are entering a new era of shared innovation to deliver best-in-class products, said Laurence Montanari, Vice President, Transportation & Mobility Industry, Dassault Systmes. With the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, BMW Group can rethink its engineering development process to deliver the most personalized and sustainable experiences to its customers.

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BMW Group Partners with Dassault Systmes to Bring the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to Its Future Engineering Platform. - BMW Press

Published 02-02-24

Submitted by CNH Industrial

Case IH, a brand of CNH, recently capitalized on the Agricultural Engineering Innovation Forum at this years International Green Week in Berlin. At the Forum, CNH reinforced its role in resolving challenges in agriculture by assisting farmers in boosting productivity and profitability, whilst generating additional value and promoting resource conservation.

Together with other well-known agritech businesses, we are seeking in-depth dialogue with consumers and decision-makers in politics and institutions at the Farm Experience in Hall 3.2 of International Green Week, says Marc-Peter Bormann, Managing Director of CNH Deutschland GmbH.

Agricultural engineering plays a crucial role in promoting resource-efficient, productive, and profitable farming. However, the benefits of agritech extend beyond the agricultural sector, profoundly impacting society. We intend to spotlight this impact by providing concrete examples on this occasion.

Case IH showcased their technological prowess at the Forum by focusing on their tech that increases efficiency, uses smart sensors and artificial intelligence, and enhances digital connectedness. From their new baler automation system to the Farmall 75C, attending this event is a testament to CNHs commitment to sustainable products and innovation for the future of farming.

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Companys regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Hemisphere, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-precision satellite-based positioning and heading technologies; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions.

Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrials 40,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.

For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit:cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit:media.cnhindustrial.com

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CSRWire - Case IH Presents Autonomous and Automated Solutions at IGW's Agricultural Engineering Innovation Forum - CSRwire.com

Engineering education has a probleman apathy problem. This apathy varies, of course, but especially in the classes more focused on math and theory, students treat engineering education as a pill they have to swallow. I remember when I took dynamics that the general sentiment among students was one of passing by any means necessary.

Why does this sentiment exist among students? Well, ask them. The most common answer youll get is that we wont need to know most of this in our actual careers, which is honestly true. Im not an expert on the real world, being a college student myself, but Ive talked to engineering graduates. Most of them would agree that when you start a career in engineering, you know nothing. What you learn in college is simply the language of your field. That language is the tool required to learn the concepts and skills you actually need to know for your job.

But this disconnect between curriculum and career has widened as software and technology keep improving. Engineering software is so complicated, the theory so complex, that you dont just need a masters in engineering to understand it. You need a masters in multiple kinds of engineering, and probably a masters in a very specific type of computer science as well. In the face of that complexity, is it really worth your time to fully understand the process?

And, to touch on possibly the most over-discussed subject in the past year, another important factor in the specialization and automation of engineering is machine learning language models such as ChatGPT. To be clear, the likes of ChatGPT will never replace engineers because machine learning models cannot themselves be legally held liable for mistakes, which means that they cannotlegally or morallybe given a professional engineers stamp.

However, a much more realistic concern is the inevitability of machine learning models being used as tools to supplement design. This introduces the black box problem, the idea that the process by which machine learning models reach their conclusions is almost impossible to figure out, which makes catching mistakes much more difficult. What this means is that in engineering design the importance of critical thinking is about to increase. Its no longer critical to understand the steps to reach an output from an input. Today, the much more important concept to understand is how the input and output are related, and, critically, which inputs are selected and why. To meet the requirements of the current day, an engineer must know not just what theyre designing or how, but also why.

To understand the importance of why in engineering, lets talk about an important example: highways. To tell it one way, the history of highways in the United States has been one of connection. If your grandparents lived in the U.S., you could ask them about road trips, and theyd probably tell you about the first cross-country road trip they ever took on the brand-new Interstate Highway System. Its possibly the most critical piece of infrastructure that we have; not only do commuters and travelers rely on it, but American shipping via trucks would also be impossible without it.

And yet, to tell it another way, the history of highways has been a history of destruction. Those highways had to go somewhere, and whatever was in the way had to be demolished. This footprint is larger than you may think: In addition to direct spatial conflicts, living near a highway can lead to long-term respiratory problems, and it massively drives down quality of life and property values. Now, if you were an engineer in 1950s America, and you had to choose which neighborhood to demolish in order to build a highway, where might you choose? Heres a hint: Go to Google and search up the name of any city and black neighborhood highway construction.

Weve got our own story of destructive highways in Cleveland with an ironic twist: One of the only stretches of highway that got canceled due to community backlash, the Clark Freeway, was to run through the comparatively rich and white suburbs of Shaker Heights. The sad truth about highways in the U.S. is that the engineering design decisions about where they should go were not apolitical. The decision makers failed to rise above the political biases of their time.

This story will have been familiar to anyone who took ENGR 398: Professional Communication for Engineers, but Id like to go one layer deeper. Adjusted for inflation, the U.S. Interstate Highway System as a whole cost more than $500 billion, not counting the money spent maintaining it. In comparison, the International Space Station has cost somewhere near $100 billion. Why did politicians and engineers decide that the largest highway network in the world was worth the price tag? Why not, say, an equally expensive and robust rail network accompanied by much smaller and cheaper highways? Whom has that fateful decision served, and how has it affected the collective and individual decisions that were able to make today?

These are the questions that every engineer should ask and answer. Sometimes, I get asked why I have a major in civil engineering but a minor in sociology. The answer is because the built world and the social world inform each other. Our design decisions influence our social beliefs, and, in turn, our social beliefs influence our design decisions. The emphasis on why that Ive been discussing has a name among sociologists; they call it sociological imagination. Just like how a scientist should be able to justify the intellectual value of their research, an engineer should be able to justify the political and social value of the world they want to build.

However, returning to our curriculum here at CWRU, I dont think that we should abandon all our technical standards and instead take only classes on software and sociology. But we should be shifting the way we think about our education. When you learn equations, you should not just be thinking about how they work, but also about what purpose they serve. College may end up being the only time in your life when you need to know what the fourth order Runge-Kutta method is, but it certainly wont be the only time in your life when you need to be curious. So never ever stop asking why.

Continued here:

The most valuable lesson you can learn from a major in engineering - The Observer