Technology Leadership Newsletter

Shrink the work, ship faster

Systems create drag; constraints create speed, and we bring you the playbook to overcome Parkinson's Law that has already crept into your systems.

Work expands to fill your sprints, PR queues, calendars, and cloud budgets. This week's featured article demonstrates how leaders can flip that dynamic with visible constraints, including decision-dated RFCs, PR size caps, a tiny-PR fast lane, WIP limits, FinOps guardrails, and async status. You’ll also get the scoreboard that proves it’s working (DORA, time-to-merge, rollover, unit cost) and a handful of one-week pilots to run immediately.

Why read this now?

Real cases: Google’s programmatic migrations, Basecamp’s six-week appetites, Dropbox’s async-by-default culture.
9 practical levers you can roll out with branch policies, CI checks, and meeting standards.
“Do it this week” pilots + a manager’s checklist to institutionalize momentum.

Read the playbook → to build these systems into your leadership toolkit.

Did You Know?

DORA’s multi-year research shows that working in small batches (reinforced by WIP limits) predicts higher software-delivery and organizational performance. This is the reason why elite teams still cap PRs and run tiny-PR fast lanes.

DORA’s longitudinal research ties small batches to better outcomes, not just throughput. Teams that utilize this methodology ship 46× more often, restore service 2,604× faster, and have 7× lower change-failure rates. The mechanism is simpler blast radius, faster reviews, and easier rollbacks—exactly why Google’s engineering guide prefers small, self-contained CLs.

NEW: Graduate Testimonials

Real voices, zero fluff. Hear recent grads talk about why they joined, what shifted in their leadership, and how the program fits a busy exec schedule. If you’re weighing the September cohort, start here. Watch the Graduate Testimonials →

Recommended reading

Book

📖 Coming Soon: Bridging the Gap

Co-authored by our CEO, Andrew Weaver, and tech leader and also a member of our CTO community, Kasey McCurdy, Bridging the Gap is your essential guide to managing both the tech and your tech team. Packed with wit, wisdom, and practical tools, it’s the ultimate playbook for turning business–tech tension into high-performance synergy.

📌 Stay tuned for release details

Digital MBA for Technology Leaders

What's New

New Lectures Added

🌐 "Data Gravity: The Multi-Cloud Paradox" (Module 8, Week 29)
🧠 "Strategic Thinking with AI" (Module 2, Week 5)

Refreshed Lectures (Module 7, Week 25):

📊 "Balance Sheet - Moment in Time"
💼 "Capitalisation of Work"
📈 “Driving and Reading the P&L”

Why Tech Leaders Choose Our Technology Leadership Program

Blended, executive-friendly format: 200+ micro-lectures, weekly live sessions, and a global community, built for busy leaders.
Proven credibility: Rated 4.9/5 from 25,000+ lecture ratings; trusted by tech leaders in 100+ countries.
Designed to fit your week: Minimum ~2.5 hours/week, paced to your schedule; 9–12 months to complete with lifetime access.
Extra value included: 12 months FREE CTO Academy membership (live sessions, debates, Q&As).

Practical Details

Starts: Monday, 8 September 2025 (100% online).
Certification: CPD-certified completion certificate.
Employer-funded? Yes. Use our guide on how to expense this to your company.

If you have additional questions, schedule a Discovery Call with our CEO and explore how our CTO Program caters to your career goals.

The next cohort launches in just 3 days, on Monday, September 8.

Book Your Seat

“I have been in tech for almost 30 years and have multiple certifications done along the way, including MS, Cisco, AWS. This was certainly one of the better laid out programs I've done with lots of variety, learning, and structure. A shout out to Andrew and Jason for providing such an amazing and immersive program.” - Craig W., CTO (Trustpilot, September 3, 2025)

CTO Community Pulse: This Week's Highlight

#Events

Next Week - Johannesburg Tech Leaders Breakfast Meetup

Dallas Goldswain, Head of Engineering, and James Mollentze, Head of Technology, are inviting you to join them for a coffee and croissant next week at Bootlegger Coffee Shop, The Zone @ Rosebank, 177 Oxford St, Rosebank, on Wednesday, Sept. 10th, 8 am - 10 am local time.

#Ask-the-Community:

A member asked for site feedback before turning on Google Ads for his new Fractional CTO offer. Igor, our Content Manager, and Afef, our Marketing Lead, jumped in and delivered a point-by-point teardown (rewiring the nav, swapping generic CTAs for outcome-driven ones, adding proof, and tightening buyer-centric messaging).

The result? A clear roadmap of immediate fixes that effectively saved thousands and set conversion rates to climb.

Want this level of immediate hands-on feedback?

Join us

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