The power of the beta tag
The Developer Portal enjoys the unique privilege of not connecting to any production database or storing personal data. This freedom, rare in our department, allows us to innovate boldly and ‘practice what we preach’: developing quickly, experimenting, incrementing through micro-deployments, and embracing imperfection. In essence, we choose to be vulnerable.
Now, I realise ‘vulnerable’ and ‘software’ in the same sentence might send a chill down the spine. Rest assured, I’m not referring to cybersecurity here. Our team rigorously adheres to modern ‘security-by-design’ principles. Instead, I mean being open about our journey and outcomes.
We made an intentional choice early on to brand the site prominently with a ‘Beta’ tag—a first for a Department of Education site, as far as I know. But what does this tag really signify?
It doesn’t mean we’re neglecting testing. In true Agile fashion, every feature undergoes rigorous evaluation within its sprint. Nor does it imply reckless deployment. Our branch management ensures tight control over what gets published and when. Micro-deployments are so seamless that most changes pass unnoticed—and rollback, while rarely needed, is just a button press away.
Instead, the beta tag is a statement: We’re still listening, still learning.
Our journey began with a small group of internal developers, and we’ve been widening our audience ever since. With every step, we proudly declare, ‘Hey, we’re in beta—what can we do for you?’ There’s something precious and powerful in trusting our users and staying vulnerable to their needs. I hope we remain vulnerable for as long as possible.
Agile and other human mindsets
For anyone that knows me, they’ll know I’m a big fan of Agile. More often than not when I mention it in conversation, I’ll get the reply ‘Oh yeah, we do Agile too’. Though a few minutes in to the conversation it becomes clear if they do or not. Because as for me, Agile is not a process, not something that can be lifted from one team and planted into another. It’s a unique journey that every team needs to cultivate and own - as a group of equals.
I’ve since added another ‘mindset’ to my mental kit bag of tools - the Cult of Done. For me this maps beautifully onto Agile, highlighting the reasons it works.
The Cult of Done is perhaps even more brazen than Agile. With tenants like ‘everything is draft’, laugh at perfection’ and ‘done is the engine of more’ - it can really stretch you. To force action and to eliminate procrastination can feel unsettling at times.
It seems to me that Agile, Cult of Done and other emerging mindset scaffolds all seem to be heading in a similar direction. They promote people over process. They encourage activity over planning. They give us permission to try, fail, and improve - without punishment or blame. To prioritise outcomes over hard dates and budgets.
Essentially they allow us be real and human. To concede we don’t have all the answers and that we will likely get it wrong first try. But that means our next try will be better - will be based in reality.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. You must build your own journey. Cultivate it as a reflection of your team’s shared values and aspirations, building something that grows uniquely from your collective experiences.
Projects, patterns and possibilities
This year, our team has ‘pivoted’ more than a few times. (‘Pivoting’, of course, being code for hitting an issue and quickly changing one’s mind before anyone has time to assign blame.)
We’ve learned to pivot faster and on smaller issues, freeing ourselves to be daring, to experiment and to adapt. Minor changes, like moving a button or adding a menu item, have become trivial in this space of constant iteration. However, bigger changes, like restructuring databases or swapping PaaS/SaaS platforms, still demand caution. My advice? Make your big mistakes early.
A key realisation for me this year is the accelerating pace of change. User expectations soar, technologies abstract ever further, and the rate of transformation can be dizzying. Earlier this year, I built a small solution for a personal project using ChatGPT as my coding partner. By iteration there, I realised I should let it handle all the code while I focused solely on business logic. Toward the end, I stopped even glancing at the generated code. It was clean, elegant, and—most importantly—functional. And I was just slowing it down.
While I’m not ready to advocate for removing humans from technology entirely, I do believe we should get out of its way as much as possible. Leverage boilerplates, rinse through AI tools, and deploy via pipelines. Code is now disposable. Build for today; as tomorrow will take care of itself.
This raises a contentious question: what about tech debt? But isn’t tech debt just technology’s way of saying, ‘Hey, you left me alone too long’?
Don’t leave your product alone. It still needs you.
The role of the architect
This year, I’ve worked closely with the enterprise architecture team, both to ensure governance for the Developer Portal and to surface their excellent compliance work. Together, we’ve built beta tools to try and make this knowledge more accessible.
These experiences have prompted me to reflect: what is the role of the technology architect in 2024 and beyond? Traditionally, architecture guided project development and identified reusable patterns. But as technology evolves, patterns feel less like blessings and more like burdens. They can create a false sense of completion when, in reality, solutions demand ongoing care.
‘Pouring concrete’ on an enterprise pattern risks creating tech debt at scale. Instead, architecture must look forward, carving new pathways and embracing the unknown. Architects should be futurists, not wardens.
Our team culture
Finally, I want to thank the team. And I say “the” team, not “my” team, because we all belong to each other. This shared ownership powers the Developer Portal and the humanity-centered culture it represents. Every page, icon, and decision asks:
- Does this add value?
- How will this help others?
- Does it bring joy?
We ask this of the site because we ask it of ourselves and each other. Not a day goes by where I don’t remind myself why I do this and how important this journey is.
So I hope I’ve inspired you to find your ‘why’—and to make your journey in 2025 meaningful too. You do you and change the world.