Elinortech.uk
Elinor Ní Chatháin
Working with Agile
I have been an Agile practitioner for more than a decade.
I introduce organisations to Agile practices, using a mix of different philosophies, tailored to the organisation, coaching teams and individuals.
I have been an Agile practitioner for more than a decade.
I introduce organisations to Agile practices, using a mix of different philosophies, tailored to the organisation, coaching teams and individuals.
In 2025 I was selected to speak at Agile on The Beach,
where I compared system security to decluttering your home.
The Talk:
What does keeping your home free of clutter have to do with your job? Those reality TV shows have a lot to answer for. You can’t simply throw the contents of your home in the skip and start again without first learning how to stop the clutter building up again.
They key is to identify how the clutter comes in, and how to keep on top of it. I’ve found some parallels with software, and my talk showed some techniques we’ve learned to keeping our system secure without letting problems build up. I talked about how our team used tools we already had and built in regular housekeeping, to catch issues early.
Engineering Takeaways:
Use the tools that you have – even if they don’t give
100% of the data you need.
Be prepared to invest time and prioritise – might take
longer than you think.
For very old tech it was cheaper to create new
systems, which was not always palatable.
You don’t need to be a super-hacker – lots of the work
is simple and routine – keeping servers and software
updated, credentials management etc.
Outside help is not always helpful – most advice is not
particularly novel or clever.
Be prepared to change your tools, more than once as
your needs change.
