Engineering Culture

Articles about Engineering Culture by Sebastian Bergmann

This image shows a close-up of a light-coloured tailor's measuring tape piled up in loose loops and coils against a warm, blurred background. The numbers and scale marks are only sharp in places. The imagery communicates the essence of Goodhart's Law: a measuring instrument tangled up in itself no longer measures anything. When the metric becomes the target, measurement loses its direction and its purpose.

7 October 2026

When the metric becomes the target

Goodhart's Law states that a metric ceases to be a good metric as soon as it becomes a target. What this means for code coverage and why tools alone cannot solve the problem.

A solitary figure in a vast concrete corridor lined with massive columns. Bright light streams through tall windows, creating sharp shadows across the empty floor. The scale dwarfs the person, visually representing the weight of institutional systems that constrain individual agency.

8 July 2026

Stories about systems that resist people

Five of the best television series I have ever seen are about the gap between what people want to achieve and what institutions allow them. They fascinate me because, after decades of developing Open Source software, I know much of this from my own working life.

The image shows five wooden blocks with symbols representing interpersonal skills. A hand deliberately highlights the cube with the red heart and the inscription “EMPATHY”. The warm, calm atmosphere emphasises empathy as a technical skill in software development.

29 April 2026

Technical debt is not malice

Technical debt is not malice, it is context. An argument for why empathy is a technical skill that matters more than you think.

The image depicts a modern software development workspace, with two developers collaborating at a shared desk. In the foreground, a woman wearing glasses and a warm, cognac-coloured jumper is typing on a keyboard and engaging with the team. Behind her, a male developer in a light green shirt is also focused on his work.

25 March 2026

Effective Code Reviews

Pair, pull, or post-push? Find the code review strategy that is right for your team.

The image shows two chess pieces on a light, almost white background. The central piece, a black king, stands upright. Next to it lies another king – presumably white – on its side, apparently defeated. The scene appears minimalistic and focuses exclusively on this symbolic moment, which is often interpreted as representing victory and defeat.

6 July 2020

Failing IT Projects

I explain how we can learn from failed IT projects.

A young person with long brown hair looks thoughtful and slightly concerned, resting their chin on their hand against a teal background.

24 February 2017

Testing keeps me from getting things done

Writing unit tests takes time. Is it really worth the effort?

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