Continuous Improvement

The perfect is the enemy of the good. Don't go after perfection — instead, get a working version on the road and let people interact with it. Observe what they like and what they don't, then improve. Then again, then again — a cycle of continuous improvement.

Whether it's writing code, operating software, or organizing a conference: Continuous improvement lies at the heart of getting it right. This is particularly true for DevOps, a topic that, next to Java and JavaScript / web development, will get the attention it deserves at Accento Digital. And it's just as important for Accento itself, where we learn from the first gig to make this one even better — current circumstances notwithstanding.

Why Have a Topic and What Difference Does It Make?

Conferences organize talks on a wide array of topics and no matter how specific the chosen subset is — and Java/JavaScript/Ops isn't exactly specific — the resulting program is rarely cohesive. That's ok, though, nobody wants to listen to five different speakers giving the same talk from slightly different view points.

And yet, wouldn't it be cool to have some connective tissue between the talks? To have something that places them into a larger picture? That's what we're going for with the conference topic!

The keynotes will deep-dive into it and other talks can add their specific take, creating a kaleidoscope of differing, overlapping, often complementary and sometimes contradictory views on the same topic. Not all talks will have something to say on it and that's ok, but others will and we think that's pretty cool.

2019 was Accento's first year and we picked quick & dirty as the topic because we had that on our mind a lot — going for the first while avoiding the latter. 2020 is Accento's first year after we've already done it once and we're fully committed to improving and, going one step further, to setting up a process that allows to further improve in the future.

This year, continuous improvement is on our mind a lot.

Of course, going digital threw a wrench into the continuous part, but that's ok. Forced evolution is just as much a part of reacting to change as continuous improvement is, and we'll take it in stride.