Our Head of Engineering, David Winterbottom, takes the highlight this month to elucidate how constructing our personal expertise creates higher buyer experiences.
Why did you be a part of Octopus?
I used to be working at Yoyo Pockets (a cellular funds startup) once I received a textual content from Greg, our founder, saying, “we’re going to do the subsequent massive factor, do you wish to be a part of us?”. So we went for a beer and he informed me about Octopus.
Once I was explaining to the founders at Yoyo why I used to be leaving, I gave them three causes. One, I wished to work with the nice folks I would labored with earlier than. Two, I wished to work within the vitality sector and do one thing, nevertheless small, about local weather change and assist folks swap to renewable vitality. And three, to have the chance to steer the design and tech we wrote proper from day one.
What do you do at Octopus?
In case you consider the tech crew as a pipeline the place concepts get fed in a single finish, get specified then applied and examined, earlier than rising as options utilized by our prospects and staff – effectively, it’s my job to handle that pipeline.
So meaning speaking to the appropriate folks to grasp an issue, and ensuring the appropriate individuals are engaged on it, and that the work they do is of a top quality and delivered in a well timed vogue.
There’s plenty of code overview, collaboration, and testing – each automated and handbook. So when somebody says an enhancement or function is able to go reside, I’ll examine it over and level out any issues or areas for enchancment. Then, as soon as the adjustments have been made, I ensure that it deploys easily into our manufacturing platform. I get emailed at any time when there’s any type of subject in manufacturing – even when only one error for one particular person – so I do know fairly shortly when stuff isn’t working.
I typically joke that my position is sort of a head chef at a restaurant – I design the each day menu however let my employees do many of the precise cooking. They then convey me their dishes and I’ll typically say, “no, that is chilly,” or, “this isn’t cooked correctly.” As soon as I’m comfortable, I’ll sprinkle on some parsley and attempt to take the credit score when it goes out to the purchasers!
How do you retain our tech operating effectively?
We’ve cherry-picked many processes and practices which have been efficient at different firms we’ve labored at. It’s an iterative course of: we’re continuously reviewing how we work and in search of methods to enhance. Now we have stand-up conferences twice every week so we are able to share what everyone seems to be engaged on and overcome any obstacles to getting issues finished.
We’re additionally cautious to measure the impact of the work we do. Earlier than we work on a function, we outline success standards: what metrics ought to change as soon as the function goes reside.
How is what you do completely different to different suppliers?
The normal provider mannequin is to purchase plenty of your expertise as an alternative of hiring a crew of software program engineers to construct it for you.
We’re attempting to be extra like a tech startup that simply occurs to work within the vitality sector. We make use of the practices of profitable startups reminiscent of steady deployment, pair programming, test-driven growth, code overview, and A/B testing. We let our prospects drive our product by releasing options early and listening to the suggestions.
Working on this agile manner means we are able to ship stuff shortly, but simply change course if it’s not working. That makes us culturally completely different from conventional suppliers who purchase their software program and hope it really works. They’re a bit just like the Titanic: they will’t change route in a short time when issues go unsuitable.
It’s just like what’s occurring in plenty of sectors, notably the personal transport market, the place you’ve gotten all these firms like BMW, Volvo, Ford, and so forth who’ve dominated the trade for years, however all of the sudden need to take care of electrical automobiles and self-driving automobiles.
You’ve now received what are basically software program firms – Google, Apple, Uber, and Tesla to some extent – coming into the automotive sector. The automobiles of the long run received’t depend on a combustion engine, however the software program that will get essentially the most out of the massive batteries inside them. So car manufacturing turns into quite a bit like a software program trade.
That’s how the sector will get disrupted. It’s a lot tougher for a corporation like BMW to vary their tradition. You’ll be able to’t simply rent a couple of folks and alter from automotive engineering to software program engineering, in order that they’ll wrestle to maintain up. And it’s occurring in vitality fairly a bit. It’s what we’re attempting to do – we’re attempting to be that software program firm that adjustments how the trade works for the advantage of prospects.
What are you engaged on in the meanwhile?
A lot of issues. I dip into everybody’s work. However one vital factor we’ve been engaged on is annual statements, which have proved to be one million instances tougher that we first thought.
At first it appears straightforward – each buyer has a yearly anniversary and will get an announcement of their consumption. However the satan is within the element. Simply the definition of a yr is sort of tough – which start line are you utilizing? And even calculating how a lot they used will be tough if we don’t have common meter readings.
So it touches each a part of the code base. Then you need to work out all the prices. Pulling that each one collectively for every buyer’s distinctive journey is difficult. And dealing on this has shaken out plenty of different work that wants doing. So it’s been occurring for a while.
We’re additionally engaged on making use of Amazon’s “server-less” applied sciences to permit fast prototyping. Meaning mentioning new providers with out having to discuss with me or another person within the tech crew. For instance, our knowledge scientist David Sykes may need an amazing thought about learn how to generate a report or needs to categorise some knowledge in a particular manner, and we’re learn how to get such issues into manufacturing shortly.
Neatest thing about your job?
Like I mentioned in the beginning, it’s working with actually sensible folks, working in an trade that I care about, with the ability to steer the engineering setting, or at the least affect it, and apply the issues I imagine to be good follow, and writing prime quality software program.
I intend to be sustaining the software program we write in 5 to 10 years time, which is a fairly completely different to working in an company or as contractor, the place in a yr’s time, the software program shall be another person’s drawback. This adjustments the way you write software program. I’m at all times considering of the long run, ensuring our code is clear and straightforward to vary so that folks will get pleasure from engaged on it for a very long time and it may well evolve because the enterprise adjustments.
One other factor is working for a corporation that’s versatile about how folks work. I’ve received children and with the ability to go house early and cut up my working week up makes a distinction to me.
Most difficult factor?
It’s actually simply attempting to juggle a number of issues directly. Making an attempt to determine what the very best precedence is and doing it to the appropriate degree of high quality and velocity. To determine on priorities we’ve to speak to a number of folks, and you end up standing within the bathe questioning about your work. Questioning if one function is extra vital than one other. You at all times fear that the factor you’re ignoring or haven’t considered will someday blow up and trigger a giant drawback.
So it’s a giant balancing act. Generally you want to push again and say to do that factor would harm this different factor, however you may’t be too treasured. It’s important to do what’s proper for the enterprise. Myself and James, our CTO, complement one another fairly effectively. I consider the platform, and ensuring it’s well-maintained and environment friendly, and James thinks of the larger image, reminiscent of new instructions we may go in or prioritising sure issues over others.
