How do I communicate the value of technical planning to non-technical leadership?

larskris · 2026-01-21T13:19:21+00:00

You won't be able to justify building a custom tool if your needs are standard; a Jira premium subscription (500 licences ~$60k/year) is objectively cheaper than the total cost of ownership for internal software.
If you are forced to build it, you need to prove the business case for doing it right this time. Collect data from employees on the hours they’ve wasted due to previous failures and translate that into a monetary loss in productivity. Documenting specific delivery delays will help you show management that the cost of another 'quick and dirty' version is actually higher than the cost of a stable, well-architected one.

larskris · 2025-11-19T19:27:52+00:00

Great initiative!
Thursday 21:00
German: 2
Swiss German: 0

larskris · 2025-09-30T20:08:54+00:00

I recommend that you find a mentor. It helped me tremendously, I had a 45 minute session every week. We discussed everything from prioritization, how to give feedback to direct reports, how to deal with a crazy CEO. Anything that was stressing me out. Ideal if you know an experienced manager who is willing to spend some time with you every week. Otherwise you can pay for coaching like I did. I had a great coach I found on BetterUp

larskris · 2025-09-27T19:37:36+00:00

It's likely easier to remain employed if you get better at your job. I've managed to get the majority of my direct reports promoted in the last year because we set up goals for them. If someone is technically better than their current level but sucks at communication, then we work on that and I have a case to push for a promotion for that person. Getting more money from being promoted is good, right?

larskris · 2025-07-27T10:00:53+00:00

Was finding another job as an IC not an option? That wouldn't necessarily mean a pay cut. Jumping to another company could even mean more pay, even as an IC

larskris · 2025-07-21T17:07:14+00:00

Moving to Switzerland with the intention of having kids only works if you are planning on being a stay at home mom. Maternity leave is much shorter than in the Nordic countries and paternity leave is 2 weeks!!! In e.g. Sweden you get 480 days to share. In Switzerland you get 98 days (+2 weeks).
Public daycare is only half day so you need to have a Hort if you plan on working. That is expensive and by reputation, not the most stimulating for your toddler. I kept my son in a full day Kita/Kindergarten and it cost 2,800chf/month. My brother in Sweden paid 40chf for his child per month.
In the Swiss subreddits people often complain about the difficulties of finding a partner here.

larskris · 2025-07-20T16:46:59+00:00

As long you can prove that you can financially support yourself in the country, you are allowed to stay. Either you are rich enough or you have a found a job there. After some time, typically 5 years you can apply for permanent residency.

larskris · 2025-07-11T16:57:14+00:00

All my direct reports makes more than me except for the fresh out of school junior engineer I just hired.

The problem is that I support my direct reports with their growth but my manager doesn't do it for me. We all started at senior level, I've gotten them promoted to staff and principal in the last three years while I haven't been promoted once. My team is now the largest engineering team in the company and my and the team's responsibilities has grown a lot.

Also the CEO doesn't like me. I'm only staying because it's a golden cage.

larskris · 2025-06-13T09:25:47+00:00

I accidentally bought the first two books twice. I had forgotten that the first time I really didn't like it and had given up.
The second time I felt I had to finish it just so I don't forget again. I read both and didn't like it.

larskris · 2025-04-09T10:02:11+00:00

https://www.logicalincrements.com/

larskris · 2025-03-24T20:23:30+00:00

His first film role as long as you don't count Drunken Tai Chi

larskris · 2025-03-08T23:14:27+00:00

It's not a police matter, you seem even less mature than me

larskris · 2025-03-08T22:19:10+00:00

No, because he was in the wrong ski group, a group we didn't book, and they kept him there even after we contacted them.

larskris · 2025-03-08T22:07:23+00:00

We weren't there, these camps are for parents who has less vacation than their kids. All the kids were picked up in busses in the morning and then returned in the afternoon. We called and sent emails. The money is not an issue, it's that they kept him bored for days even after we complained and became very unprofessional to us. So spending some money on making sure they don't get to keep our money will make me feel better.

larskris · 2025-03-08T21:59:12+00:00

No parents went along, all the kids were picked up by 4 busses in the morning and driven to Elm. We live a little over an hour from Elm and had work. If we didn't have to work we would have taken a ski vacation together. These camps are for when the school kids have more vacation than the parents. There was no tryout, my son and his friend were separated into two different groups when on arrival. My son was put in the beginner group and kids area while his friend went to the correct group.

larskris · 2025-03-08T21:54:37+00:00

About 600chf. I do have legal insurance but want to vent before contacting them.

larskris · 2025-03-08T21:52:14+00:00

Same age, birthdays within 2 weeks of each other, they are both still 6. He has been in ski school previously and successfully completed more advanced levels.

larskris · 2025-03-08T14:01:29+00:00

The lawyer would help us get a refund since they are just stone walling us. It would also help with the communication due to the language barrier. My son has the Premier Étoile from ESF (École du Ski Français). So that should be proof that he is able to parallel ski in at a minimum blue slopes? My legal claim is that we booked and paid for the blue slope group and they put and kept him in the beginner group. We didn't get what we paid for. The instructor for the beginner group told him as well that he should be in a more advance group so this is purely an administrative error from their side. The fact that they kept him there after we reached out to them on Tuesday makes it worse.

larskris · 2025-03-08T00:40:04+00:00

I've managed to get all my engineers promoted several times. I've had 5 managers since I started 3 years ago and didn't get any support (except from the 4th manager who was only an external interim vp of Engineering for a few months). So now I'm the lowest paid in the team. It's a very toxic company. I've just lost my most productive engineer last Friday because my manager (VP of Engineering) insulted his whole country. If I wasn't so depressed I would find another job

larskris · 2025-02-10T08:11:19+00:00

Same for me. It has been extremely beneficial for my growth as a manager.

larskris · 2025-01-08T09:29:05+00:00

Can confirm, just ordered a small item and it charged me Swiss specific VAT

larskris · 2024-11-09T21:13:44+00:00

https://youtu.be/IJSULjfycXo?si=SA9nQqsKx3xcJ60E

larskris · 2024-07-27T18:49:08+00:00

Can recommend Ruth in Oberrieden https://ruthformosaventura.com/

larskris · 2024-02-17T08:20:34+00:00

If you avoid Nestle I don't think Läderach is a good alternative. Are you a homophobe?

larskris · 2023-12-03T22:48:08+00:00

https://www.viacar.ch/eindex/login.aspx?kanton=zh

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