Emily Bache on software quality, technical excellence, and driving change
In this episode of Distributed, host Jack Hannah speaks with Emily Bache, a technical coach and the creator of Samman Coaching, about her work helping teams improve their development practices.
Emily shares her experiences with test-driven development and refactoring, and explains how these practices can transform both code quality and team dynamics.
Highlights:
- The impact of test-driven development on software quality
- How to introduce new practices in a resistant environment
- Why collaborative coding, like ensemble programming, accelerates team growth
- The role of leadership in creating a culture of continuous learning and quality
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) – Kicking things off with Emily Bache
(01:25) – First experience with extreme programming in 2000
(02:28) – Struggling to get a new team on board with XP
(04:03) – Why TDD transformed Emily’s coding approach
(05:22) – Becoming a full-time technical coach and YouTuber
(06:48) – Defining what a technical coach actually does
(07:21) – Inside a high-performing architecture team’s microservices shift
(09:04) – Can siloed experts still outperform collaborative teams?
(14:42) – Simple tactics to nudge your team toward better practices
(20:57) – Ensemble programming explained: many minds, one keyboard
(24:45) – Why refactoring skills matter in the age of AI assistants
References
Approval Tests and the weekly Approval Tests Ensemble
ChatGPT & Copilot are NOT Refactoring Tools
Where to connect further:
Connect with Emily Bache on LinkedIn and Samman Technical Coaching Society
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Want to hear more? Check out distributed.fm
Connect with Jack Hannah