About

Hi, I’m Rafael Fernandes. I started this blog as a way to share information with other Agile enthusiasts that look at Agile practices not just as a job – but a lifestyle.

How My Work Will Benefit You

The central question I explore through my work is “How can we make better software products?”. I want to find great ideas to improve the software development process and test them in the real world.

My writing focuses on topics like…

  • How to improve teamwork
  • How to build products the users want
  • How to continuously improve the development process
  • How to automate systems
  • How to get feedback faster

Predominantly, I write about how to apply these ideas to software development because it’s the area I have more experience with. However, these concepts can be easily extrapolated and applied to many other diverse fields.

Most of the concepts I discover and build upon after many hours of reading, research, and experimentation. When I find a new idea I try to put it in practice, observe the results, and refine it based on the results. Many insights come from Lean Startups, Open Source, DevOps, Psychology, Coaching, History, Philosophy, and more.

I strongly believe building great software products ultimately comes to building great teams. So improving the development process, implies improving the work environment for each person on the team. I’m sharing the lessons I learned so that you can improve your work and team environment. Use this information to build something you are proud of.

I’m not a guru and I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’m happy to share what I’ve discovered so far. I’m happy to learn when I’m wrong and always trying to improve.

Hopefully, you’ll find it useful as well.

About Me

I grew up in Portugal and currently live in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I got my bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Computers Engineering, and master’s degree in Automation. Both from University of Coimbra, Portugal.

My interest was always on problem-solving, and I found out one of the best ways to practice solving problems is by writing software. So I got in love with the process of defining a problem, evaluate different solutions, implement it in software, and get fast feedback. Later, I discover the importance of working on a team, so leadership and mentoring become my new areas of interest. I studied intensely best practices for Agile software development and got certification as a Scrum Master.

Trough my career I worked with computer vision, robotics, automotive and even space technology.

Other interests

  • Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
  • Climbing
  • Reading

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, feedback, or just to say hi. I’m on LinkedIn, Twitter.

Cheers, Rafael Fernandes

They say “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”. So now you can learn from my mistakes and experiences to move faster. Insert your email below to get access to my best tips.