The Agile Manifesto is Dead: Why We Need a New Software Development Paradigm

It’s time we admit it: the Agile Manifesto isn’t just showing its age—it’s practically fossilized. Like that one colleague who still insists on using Internet Explorer “because it works fine,” we’ve been clinging to a 24-year-old document as if it’s the holy grail of software development. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Agile has become the very thing it sought to destroy. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to throw the baby out with the bathwater....

August 14, 2025 · 8 min · 1688 words · Maxim Zhirnov

Mastering Asynchronous Python: Building High-Performance Applications with asyncio

Picture this: you’re at a coffee shop, and there’s only one barista. In the synchronous world, this barista would take your order, grind the beans, brew your coffee, serve it, clean the machine, and only then move on to the next customer. Meanwhile, twenty people are standing in line, tapping their feet and checking their watches. Sound inefficient? Welcome to the world before asyncio. Now imagine that same barista can take multiple orders, start several brewing processes, and serve ready coffees while others are still brewing....

August 13, 2025 · 13 min · 2659 words · Maxim Zhirnov

The Case Against Always Using Agile Epics

Let me start with a confession: I used to be an epic evangelist. Every feature request, every project milestone, every sneeze in the office got wrapped up in a shiny epic container. “Just throw it in an epic!” I’d declare, like some sort of Agile fairy godmother waving her backlog wand. But after years of watching projects stumble, teams burn out, and stakeholders scratch their heads in confusion, I’ve come to a sobering realization: epics aren’t always the answer....

August 13, 2025 · 9 min · 1801 words · Maxim Zhirnov

Implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Practices in Development Teams

Remember those late Friday nights when someone accidentally deleted the production database configuration, and your weekend plans suddenly transformed into a frantic infrastructure reconstruction marathon? Yeah, we’ve all been there. The good news is that Infrastructure as Code (IaC) can turn those nightmare scenarios into mere footnotes in your deployment history. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re either drowning in manual infrastructure management or you’re the wise soul trying to prevent your team from entering that particular circle of DevOps hell....

August 12, 2025 · 11 min · 2253 words · Maxim Zhirnov

The Case Against Always Using Agile Backlogs

Picture this: you’re at your third daily standup this week, and someone inevitably asks, “So, what’s our velocity this sprint?” Meanwhile, your backlog has grown from a neat list of 20 items to a sprawling monster with 247 tickets, half of which haven’t been touched since the Obama administration. Sound familiar? Welcome to the dark side of Agile backlogs that nobody talks about at those fancy methodology conferences. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not here to burn down the Agile manifesto or suggest we all return to the waterfall days of our ancestors....

August 12, 2025 · 11 min · 2213 words · Maxim Zhirnov