Andy Norton worked in software development at organisations both big and small, with a keen focus on people, delivery and pragmatic solutions based around agile, lean and DevOps practices.
After graduating from The University of Salford with a degree in Computer Science and computing, he has worked in the field as a Software Developer, Senior Developer, Software Architect, and now finds himself as a Software Development Manager at FOOTASYLUM, which is a streetwear fashion retailer with 65 stores across the UK and an online store.
Andy also mentors engineers, helping them to level up in their own career. He has spoken at various events and meet-ups across the U.K. on a wide range of technologies including Azure, Augmented Reality, DevOps and Serverless architecture. And is also a co-organiser of Lancashire Tech Talks meet-up.
We spoke about finding simple solutions to complex problems, “what problem are we trying to solve?” or “what’s the outcome we’re looking for?” in the often complex world of DevOps and Engineering.
Show Times
0:50 - The service FOOTASYLUM provides.
1:21 - Andy's 15 years in the industry and his role now at FOOTASYLUM.
2:26 - Optimising for flow across a process, removing waste from a process to provide effective delivery of an end goal.
4:40 - Think of development as a production line.
5:30 - Creating short feedback loops.
8:40 - Strong product management, how to get a team to deliver as a unit.
10:50 - The horror stories of Code Reviews.
15:30 - Online code schools and boot camps.
22:00 - How Andy has adapted to hiring remotely.
27:00 - Andy's approach to finding the right people.
33:21 - Taking a less hands-on approach to solving problems.
41:00 - The best new piece of tech in the last 10 years.
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